


Sweet Illusions

by 123leyang321



Category: Storm Hawks
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Battle, Dark, Developing Relationship, Drama, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Fights, Friendship, Gore, Hallucinations, Horror, Implied Sexual Content, Insanity, Killing, Love, Madness, Minor Character Death, Nudity, Obsession, Psychological Horror, Romance, Secret Relationship, Ship Tease, Shipping, Unrequited Love, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-03-30
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-18 00:11:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 50,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13670223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/123leyang321/pseuds/123leyang321
Summary: Ever since his first contact with a strange crystal, Aerrow starts hallucinating and has a change of character, all of that while he realizes he may have fallen for a certain navigator. As the time passes by, he grows more and more insane. Will he be able to overcome his madness before he does something actually evil?





	1. An Old Abandoned Experiment

**Author's Note:**

> IMPORTANT NOTES:
> 
> 1\. In this story, the characters are older than in the cartoon. Aerrow, Piper, Finn, Junko, Cyclonis and all the 14 years old in the cartoon are 18. Stork is 21, Dark Ace is 30 and Starling is 25. The others' ages aren't so important...
> 
> 2\. Yes, Dark Ace is alive and he never exploded.
> 
> 3\. Nobody ever went to the Far Side.
> 
> 4\. Aerrow, Piper, Cyclonis and Dark Ace never used the Binding and no one knows about that power.
> 
> 5\. Ravess and Snipe never were banished. The Condor never was destroyed and Stork never made a payback against Repton and the Raptors.
> 
> 6\. Stork and Cyclonis never found the "Door to the Far Side" in Terra Tropica.
> 
> 7\. In other words, the major events from episodes 43 (finding the "Door"), 44 (Ravess being banished and Cyclonis taking the "Door" to her Terra), 46 (the "prophecy" spoken by the Guardians about Piper being "the one"), 47 (the SH learning more about the "Door"), 48 (Terra Wallop and Cyclonia uniting and Junko being exiled), 49 (the Condor exploding, the Raptors being "killed" by Stork, Snipe being banished), and episodes 50, 51 and 52 entirely never happened in this "alternative story".
> 
> 8\. WARNING: there will be mature content. I'm not going to include explicit "porn", but there'll be quite a nice amount of violence, since I've decided to make this into a horror kind of story.

**Chapter I**

**An Old Abandoned Experiment**

In a wide and bizarre dark room, you could hear the sounds of thin fingers touching the gray keys from the storm engine's keyboard. The young Empress in her usual large black cloak with a hood over her head covering half of her eyes frantically typed meaningless codes while staring at the metallic keys. In those years her hair had grown up to the top of her waist, she wore now a black outfit with brown boots that reached her knees, and had started wearing dark eyeshadow. She sailed in deep thought, and was just typing because she was being driven by an almost automatic and involuntary impulse, her mind was completely drowned in her subconscious.

She thought about all the plans she had created to finish the Storm Hawks: to convince them to join Cyclonia through oblivion crystals, to use crystals and other devices of mind control in an attempt to make them turn against each other, kidnapping and torture, surprise attacks with her army, disguise herself to trick and lead them to destruction, threaten to destroy all the Atmos... Anyway, lots and lots of different plans, but all had something in common: exactly the same result - failure. It all was already becoming cliché.

Until something finally occurred to her: why try to destroy them or force them to do it if they could just give up on that job? It just should become tiresome and unnecessary. No, what nonsense! They never would stop, no matter how arduous the task... But they could get tired of it if they went too far, if at least one of them could only make the others get tired, no mind control, only free will, maybe it might even work!

Then she remembered an old experiment that her predecessor used to work on when she was a little girl, something that has been ignored for a long time, before the fateful event that made her take possession of the Cyclonian throne early. She walked through the dark room towards a stone wall, bent down and dragged one of the rocks out of it, then pulled an old chest from the hole and opened it. Gazing at what was inside, she wondered: who would be the best choice? Then, she thought about doing a little research before making hasty decisions that would disappoint her again. She closed the chest, got up, went to her radio and called one of her Night Crawlers. Within minutes, the red-eyed captain appeared.

"What do you want, Master?" - he spoke with a reverence.

"Choose your best troops for a small mission that requires extreme discretion. Lead them to the vicinity of the Storm Hawks' ship and report their activities with as much detail as you can, try to send also holograms of them. I need it as soon as possible. Don't make mistakes." - she said.

"Yes, Master." - he bowed and walked out of the big double door from where he had come.

* * *

 

The Condor was parked next to Terra Amazonia, with the hooks at the tips of its steel cables fixed firmly to the rock formation shaped like a wide arch. The weather was pleasant, the sun was shining, no clouds in the sky. It was a quiet day. Six Night Crawlers then appeared without being seen and without the ship's scanners detecting them thanks to their cloaking devices. They settled in the rocky arch, slid silently by the steel cables and entered the Condor through the pipes. Each one was instructed with monitoring one Storm Hawk.

The first to send images and reports was the one that watched Radarr. The co-pilot had grown a little, was stronger, his fur on top of the head was longer and looked like a short kind of hairstyle, he wore a different outfit: navy blue shorts with dark green details that covered him up to his knees, a shirt with the same color but the texture was similar to the camouflage of an army's uniform, his wrists and ankles exchanged white bandages for metallic bracelets and anklets, his ancient tiny shoulder armor pieces were now larger and covered a small part of the arms, he also had gloves on his forepaws that showed his fingers and contained a metallic piece for the back of the hands, like those of the other team members. The animal was in the Condor's hull, chasing after some kind of squirrels that were scratching the ship's bodywork trying to hide food or maybe make nests there.

" _It's just an animal, I couldn't change too much with it. You may finish your part._ " - Cyclonis told the Night Crawler through her communicator after seeing what Radarr did.

The second to give the news was the one that took care of Stork's routine. The Merb also had changed: he had some beard under his the tip of his chin, the hair on the back of the head was longer and was trapped in a thin ponytail covered by the elastic that tied it all the way to the tip, leaving only a small tuft of hair showing, he cut his bangs a little, but they covered his face anyway. He wore a gray long-sleeved shirt with brown leather protections on the shoulders and chest, his pants were gray with some dark brown details, like the protections for the knees and ankles, he didn't wear that belt anymore - he replaced it with a lead toned gray plated protection - his gloves were a dark red color similar to brown and still showed his fingers, he also kept that metallic "X" from his armor. The pilot was reading a book about disasters and other calamities from the Atmos and seemed very involved into reading.

" _He's very paranoid, but has improved since sometime ago. I think he won't help much. End your part too._ " - the young empress said.

The third was spying Junko. The wallop was very taller, his hair was no longer that little messy tuft - he cut the upper tip turning it into a straight and uniform tuft - and the horn on his nose grew a little. He wore a moss-green sweater with details in beige and dark green leather protections, dark brown pants a little longer than his old jeans, with the tissue bars covered by his beige legs protection. He didn't wear those long gloves and they were now dark green. The flight engineer was in the kitchen preparing a big snack and eating it voraciously.

" _This wallop may give enough trouble for them, but I don't think he has what I need right now. Complete your part._ " - the girl said.

The fourth looked at Finn. The sharpshooter was also taller, his body had evolved a bit, he still had his forelock with almost no apparent difference, maybe just the color that had darkened slightly, leaving a slight gradient, but he kept his charm and his face was still attractive. He wore a shirt with short sleeves in a dark yellow color (almost beige) with light blue details, his trousers had teal color with details in gray, and brown slightly grayish boots. His gloves were of the same style, but now were brown like his leather protections. He was in the bathroom shaving some facial hair on his face, the boy was wondering if he should grow a goatee. Maybe next time...

" _This one has a huge ego, he could create a good competition. Maybe..._ " - the Cyclonian began, when suddenly the blonde guy ran out of the bathroom looking for Radarr accusing him of stealing again his hair gel - " _...forget it, I thought he had matured._ " - she added.

The fifth monitored Piper. The Crystal Mage had stretched a little in these years, still slender, her face had the same characteristics and squandered beauty. She also changed her hairstyle: put her bangs to the right side of her face, left her orange hair band behind and began to tie her hair in a ponytail. She wore a purple blouse with pink and white details and sleeves that covered her arms up to shortly after her elbows, and gray pants with white details, longer than the old one. She had gray leather protections on the shoulders, wrists, knees and elbows, her gloves still covered only two fingers, but they were white, while her boots were a color beige slightly pink and covered her pants bars. The navigator was in her room examining some crystals.

" _Hm... Dear Piper... I think she would become something more useful than a burden, after all her activities have little influence on the others' ones. But maybe... Guess I still will save her._ " - Cyclonis reflected.

The sixth reported Aerrow. The Sky Knight continued with his red hair intact! His face still had the same grace of when he was a boy, the young one also grew up and had some muscles - like Finn, but both without exaggeration - he was a handsome and robust guy. He wore a dark teal shirt with long sleeves and light blue and gray details and navy blue pants with black details. He traded the old long blue and brown gloves with short gray and black ones and had blue leather wrists protections where he put silver plated protections. He also had this set of guards on the elbows, shoulders and knees, like the others of the team and his boots were gray. He was alone, training hard in the hangar: doing pushups, abdominal crunches, squats and various other aerobic exercises.

" _Training. Is that all he does?_ " - she said with a slight smirk, then Aerrow suddenly began running out of the hangar with his swords in hand, but disabled, and somersaulted, cutting five thick branches in marks he had painted earlier with red ink to practice his accuracy in agile attack moves, then landed easily on his feet - " _Wow... I think I just found the perfect choice. You can come back here._ "

The Night Crawlers left the Storm Hawks' ship and made their return to Cyclonia. In her room, the young empress walked around, plotting carefully every part of her new plan, she sometimes stopped, looked at the chest and gave an evil smile. Once she was done thinking, she ordered to one of her talons:

"Call the Dark Ace, I have a special task for him."


	2. Trap

**Chapter II**

**Trap**

Minutes later, the Dark Ace entered the room. In four years, the Cyclonian uniform's standard changed, everyone was already tired of the "Christmas tree", so the red and green clothing became gray and black, but the red of Cyclonia's insignia had been kept. The Talon commander remained roughly the same - there was not much to change in a few years since he had already passed through puberty and was an adult - maybe just the exercises he had been practicing lately were making some effect on his body, but nothing too relevant. He bowed while he asked:

"What is your wish, Master?"

"I'm planning something for the Storm Hawks, but this time I intend it to be different from my usual plans."

"Tell me, Master."

"I want you to go to their ship stockade on Terra Amazonia. Alone, without talons. I need you to care for an old experiment to be tested." - then she took the chest, opened it and showed a small glass bottle containing a black liquid - "This elixir was being made by my predecessor, I followed the work closely and saw how it worked. But it had not come to perfection in exams yet, however he made a final dose that had not been tested." - she said as she placed on the table a syringe with a needle and a kind of glass crystal she took from the old chest - "I'm thinking about testing it on the Sky Knight. As my predecessor knew it would be difficult to make someone drink the elixir and since it was risky to try to mix it with the food, because it could suffer chemical reactions and lose its effect, he designed this crystal." - she showed the crystal to her soldier - "It was called Final Installation Crystal since it can absorb the effects of the elixir and throw them in the person as a typical crystal casts its powers, but it does even more: it makes the power definitive, even if it gets destroyed, taken away from the affected person or subjected to the effects of blocking crystals or leechers, unlike the other crystals." - Cyclonis used the syringe to inject the dark liquid inside the installation crystal and handed it to the Dark Ace.

"How do you want me to proceed, master?"

"Lure Aerrow away from the others, he must be alone with you, so they won't try to prevent our plant, and cast an energy pulse from the crystal on him. You can do it with your sword too if you want, but I think you can miss him if he dodges and the crystal has only enough elixir for one single shot, so don't fail."

"Leave it to me, Master. He won't know what hit him." - he said as he bowed, then turned and left the room through the double doors.

* * *

 

Squadron Log - Piper's POV (italic):

_Squadron Log, we are doing our routine chores and everything is going well. There is no sign of Cyclonian activity, so we decided to take a short stop at Terra Amazonia to seize the moment and take a day off..._

"Okay, everybody ready?" - Aerrow asked looking at his team organized to go for a picnic: Piper was holding a basket with food, Finn had a bag with plates, glasses and cutlery, Junko carried the barbecue grill, Radarr was on the leader's shoulder, who was holding a folded large picnic blanket and Stork was carrying a "deadly Amazon insects repellent".

Everyone left the Condor and settled near the rock arch where the ship's steel cables were tied tightly to. The weather was nice. The sharpshooter and the wallop were preparing the barbecue, the Sky Knight and the navigator distributed the plates, glasses and cutlery on top the towel, the co-pilot smelled the place to make sure that those squirrels or other small animals wouldn't come trying to steal food and the merb sprayed his repellent on every place until the air became yellow colored.

"Stork, stop it! You'll ruin the barbecue!" - the blond guy complained, when he looked at the meat on the grill that had shrunk and become a green moss, it looked quite disgusting - "Oh great, we just wasted fine cuts of meat."

Radarr suddenly began growling, looking at the yellow smoke that prevented any view of the sky.

"What's going on, Radarr?" - Aerrow spoke and looked at the same direction his partner did. As the smoke disappeared, the shadow of a ride was formed, with a silhouette difficult to identify at first. The red-haired guy squinted his eyes to see better, then said gritting his teeth - "Dark Ace!"

* * *

 

The talon commander came in his switchblade, staring down at the Storm Hawks with that same bloody gaze.

"Oh, what do we have here? And how would the Sky Knight be today?" - he asked ironically.

"To be honest, everything was wonderful, until someone came to poke his big nose where it was not wanted." - Aerrow replied with the same sarcasm, making the black-haired man angry.

"You're already getting on my nerves. If I were to decide, you'd be lying dead on the floor right now." - he groaned as the young gritted his teeth - "But since that's not my choice, I'll spare you for now."

"What are you doing here?"

"Why don't you try to find out?"

"Storm Hawks, let's..."

"Impressive." - the Dark Ace interrupted him - "I didn't bring my talons, I am only one and you still call your entire squadron to come after me? What kind of Sky Knight are you? Do you have any honor?" - these words affected Aerrow deeply, causing a very strong anger - "Besides, I would defeat your whole team and everything would be left for the hero here to save the day, you know you're the only match for me." - the red-haired guy was now gritting his teeth to the point that they could break up - "If you're brave enough, come alone." - the Cyclonian then jumped up, sat in the switchblade's seat and flew to the right.

"He'll pay for it." - Aerrow said with hatred in his voice when he took his swords and started running towards the cliff.

"Aerrow, what are you going to do?! It must be a trap, don't go! That's what he wants! Stop now! Aerrow!" - Piper yelled, but he ignored: he jumped from the edge of the Terra, opened his retractable wings and used the air currents to follow the Dark Ace, who was not going too far.

* * *

 

Near where the squadron had been installed there was a small portion of land that was part of Terra Amazonia's area. The Dark Ace turned his skimmer from its flying mode to ground mode and accelerated the vehicle. Aerrow followed him with his glider, but the wind was not helping, giving some advantage to his opponent that entered with speed in a deep and very dark cave. The Sky Knight stopped at the entrance and hesitated for a moment as the Crystal Mage's words came to his mind: ' _It must be a trap, don't go!_ ' Sorry, Piper...

The boy activated his blades to illuminate the tunnel as he entered. He had walked about 200 feet when he saw the Cyclonian switchblade parked in a corner. He observed around and continued pushing into the darkness. At one point, he realized that the swords' blue light was weaker, then he looked at the walls and saw they were filled with leech crystals embedded strongly, so he had to be very careful to stay as far away as possible from them. Suddenly a voice echoed through the cave.

' _Hello, Aerrow. I thought you wouldn't come._ ' But he didn't see anyone.

"Come face me!" - the red-haired yelled.

' _Oh, you are armed. I wouldn't bet on the swords, they can explode the leechers at any moment..._ '

"Show your face!" - Aerrow shouted furiously, while looking at all sides waiting for an attack, what a mischance for him, that would come from where he least expected.

"I'm exactly at the same point as you right now."

The Sky Knight was paralyzed by milliseconds after hearing that whisper so close, then realized the trap he fell into: he looked upwards and saw the figure of his enemy on the roof supported by four stalactites and holding a transparent crystal with something black inside in his right hand. Suddenly the red-eyed man fired an energy pulse from the crystal on the boy who had no time to dodge, because the distance was too short, so he only protected himself with his arms. The bolt struck the young man and nothing seemed to happen. He was not unconscious, he was not thrown to the ground, nothing.

Dark Ace was frustrated: Cyclonis had said leechers didn't affect the installation crystal. Not even the blue blades had their energy completely absorbed! What did go wrong? But then Aerrow began feeling some pain and supported his head on his wrists to ease it up a bit. The Cyclonian took advantage of the fact that the young man had lowered his guard and shot him quickly with his red sword, throwing the Storm Hawk against the wall. The blue light now began fading and coming back. What the green-eyed guy saw was sinister and scary: Dark Ace standing away from him; darkness; the black-haired man very closer; darkness; blood-red eyes staring at him mortally close; darkness...


	3. Mission Accomplished

**Chapter III**

**Mission Accomplished**

Aerrow was in trouble. In those seconds of darkness, many, many images came into his head. He was stunned, his mind was blurred to the point where he remained paralyzed with a blank stare, just waiting for the imminent end. Suddenly he was able to return to reality by some shady force and, fortunately, his versatility and his habit to take absurd risks saved his life, fatally, but they did: he raised his swords and touched two leech crystals, which absorbed all their energy and went into a state of self-destruction. The explosion caused the talon commander to hit the wall on the opposite side (Aerrow didn't suffer, because he bent over to protect himself) and created a chain reaction that would make all the cave collapse and fall apart!

Dark Ace got up and started running towards the way out, with the young man on his heels. Soon, the Cyclonian found his skimmer, jumped on it and hastened to his escape, while the Sky Knight continued on foot, as there were no air currents and the cave was too narrow to use his retractable wings. He was near the opening, when a sudden and intense explosion came very quickly from inside the cave, throwing him violently into the air along with pieces of stone that came off from the walls of the tunnel. He was hit by some of the stones and hit the ground a few times until he finally fell meters ahead, lying face down with his head turned to the left, while dust and smoke filled the environment.

* * *

"What was that?" - the sharpshooter asked about the big boom they had heard.

"Aerrow must be in trouble, we can't just stand here, let's go check what happened!" - Piper said. Everyone hopped in their rides and flew in the direction that the Dark Ace and Aerrow had taken previously.

Soon they reached the portion of land where the explosion occurred and saw their leader lying on the ground: there were a few small rips in his uniform and cuts on his pale skin.

"Aerrow!" - the navigator shouted desperately, as she ran. Standing in front of him, the Crystal Mage knelt down, turned him over, looked for a pulse in the neck, which fortunately was there, and held his right hand with both hands, stroking it gently.

Seconds later, the others came and watched quietly, expecting that Piper would ask them to carry the body. There was no need: they heard a low moaning and the emerald green eyes opened slowly and blinked a few times, bringing relief to everyone.

"Oww... My head..." - he groaned as lifted his back and passed his free hand through his red hair.

"You okay?" - the girl asked worried and squeezed his hand slightly.

"Er... Yes! Sure, I'm fine... Besides a few scratches, I just hit my head during the explosion, but nothing serious." - Aerrow stammered a little agitated and embarrassed when he realized she was holding his hand, then gave her a shy gaze. By an involuntary movement, almost like a twitch, two fingers of his hand closed quickly, colliding with the back of his friend's hand, who quickly dropped it with the fright, making him even more embarrassed. In this, he groaned in pain again and pulled his free hand from behind his head, which came with the glove stained with blood.

"Nothing serious, huh?" - Piper spoke with a more rigid voice, in a reproachful tone, but still retained some sweetness - "Let me see it."

"No need! I mean... It's not so bad, it was just a small cut." - he tried to prevent the increasing tension, reaching out to hold her arms.

"Aerrow, I won't touch it, I just want to take a look."

"I know it, it's just that... It was nothing, soon it's going to be healed on its own, don't worry."

"If it is nothing, it's okay to look."

"There isn't any need. Seriously, Piper."

"Aerrow..." - she was getting impatient, and then proceeded to lift her back to stay at a higher level than him.

"C'mon, Piper. I said it's no big deal..." - he spoke as he leaned back so that she couldn't see the injury, but his effort was in vain: the navigator jumped on him as if she would hug him, then grabbed his neck, turned around and pulled it close to her, so that she was behind him and could observe all his red head.

"This wound is bad, fortunately, it isn't so deep, but you suffered a nice cut here. Maybe we'll need to suture it." - then turning to see his face, she continued - "Why didn't you listen to me, Aerrow?"

"I'll never allow the Dark Ace to offend my squadron that way again." - he replied looking at the other side, then he stared at his hand and pressed it into a fist strongly - "And he still will pay..."

"But what happened? Where's the Dark Ace?" - Finn asked pulling his crossbow for caution.

"I followed him up to that cave, which was full of leech crystals. It was very dark inside and he echoed his voice through the tunnel, so I didn't know where it came from. When I figured out his location, he was hanging on the ceiling and..." - Aerrow hesitated to continue. The memory of that strange crystal had come to his mind. What was that thing? Piper would find out for sure. Piper... She always has too much work, and was so busy lately, she hardly left her laboratory. And now that she finally got some free time, he had to ruin it with one more complicated research. No. He couldn't do that to her, it wasn't fair, even if she loved working with crystals, she deserved to rest.

"And...?" - the sharpshooter interrupted the Sky Knight's thoughts, bringing him back to reality.

"He... Shot me with a sword and I hit the wall of the cave, when my blades began flashing. I had the idea of touching them on the leechers to keep the Dark Ace away and put him at a disadvantage. But he ran away! Which was very strange. Well, the tunnel exploded and now I'm here."

The Crystal Mage raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but then shook her head in disapproval to the early and risky act of the guy. He then gave her another sheepish gaze, this time accompanied by a half-smile, which made the girl's rigidity to be completely diluted as she said with a serene expression:

"You're crazy, Sky Knight." - his shy half-smile now became a whole and happy one - "We gotta take care of that injury before it gets infected." - she added, extending her hand to help him get up, while Finn did the same.

Aerrow stood up with some difficulty, because his body was very sore. Junko offered himself as a support, allowing the guy to stay on his feet by holding his shoulder and all walked to the Condor, which Stork had brought and parked at the place while they talked.

* * *

Soon after, Aerrow was in the infirmary, lying face down in the gurney, grumbling because they cut part of his hair to suture the wound.

"It'll grow back again. Remember how it quickly returned to normal after that mission in the talon academy? Soon you will have your beloved red hair back." - Piper said, and he replied with a smile - "This will sting a little." - she said, while preparing an alcohol swab to clean his head.

"It's alright, I can bear it." - the Sky Knight said, but then began moaning because it burned too much.

"I'll already suture it."

"No problem, just take it easy." - he muttered.

The girl used needle and thread to close the large cut. The guy whined a lot and pressed the mattress on the bed with strength to withstand the pain, after all, stitching a wound that big with no anesthesia wasn't a pleasant experience.

"Now, the bandage."

The young man sat in the bed, while the Crystal Mage involved the bandage carefully around his head. He felt her soft fingers gently touching his head and a delicious feeling spread on his whole body, giving him a certain chill in the spine.

"Done. That wasn't so bad." - she announced.

"Yeah... I managed to survive." - the leader said, making her let out a slight giggle, but then she turned serious.

"Please, don't... Don't do it again, Aerrow."

He didn't answer, just gave her a serene gaze accompanied by a very subtle smile, as if he were making a promise with his eyes, reassuring her.

"Well, you better get some rest, you had a tough day."

"Nothing that I can't recover of. But it's okay, I'll do what you ask. You should relax the rest of the day too."

"Yes, of course. At least there is no sign of trouble anywhere. What did the Dark Ace want with you?"

"I don't know... And since it's never a good thing, sometimes I hope we never find out." - Aerrow said as he stood up - "I'm going to my room, if anything happens, you know where to find me. Thanks for taking care of my injury, Piper."

"You're welcome. If you need anything, let us know."

"Fine." - he winked at her and left the room.

* * *

In Cyclonia, the Dark Ace walked into the dark throne room, while Cyclonis kept her back to him, typing on the keyboard as usual.

"How was the mission, Dark Ace?" - she asked.

"I managed to hit the Sky Knight, but I don't know if it worked. You had said that leechers didn't affect the crystal, so I used that cave in the land mass from the fourth quadrant of Terra Amazonia I showed you on the map. And when I shot him, nothing happened!" - he replied.

The empress gave a little muffled laugh as she explained:

"Don't get frustrated. You've been successful with the plan. The crystal works that way. Now put it on the bracket to your left."

"But what exactly have I just done?" - he inquired as he stared at the crystal, then placed it in the holder.

"It won't be too long until the elixir begins taking effect. Wait a few days and you will see, Dark Ace, you will see..."

 


	4. Appearances

**Chapter IV**

**Appearances**

Two weeks have passed since Aerrow had fallen into the Dark Ace's trap. The young man seemed to be very well for someone who had suffered a large cut on his head. In fact, he wore only a thin bandage now, his wound was almost completely healed. Since he was very stubborn, he continued exercising hard, and usually did so in secret, until he decided to call Finn for a workout like in the old days, while they were doing a small patrol through the woods of Terra Amazonia.

"Remember when we used to do combat training?" - he began as he bowed his vehicle towards the ground so he could land.

"Yeah. What are you thinking about?" - the sharpshooter said, doing the same.

"What about some practice?" - he asked, pulling out two swords and handing one to the blue-eyed boy.

"Are you sure? What about your injury?"

"I'll be fine. It's almost healed. And don't try to take it easy on me, I'll know if you facilitate."

"Okay. You know what you're doing."

Then the two began fighting, they parried each other's blows perfectly. Again and again the blades collided and were driven back strongly, it was admirable that Finn knew how to handle one of those so greatly.

* * *

In her room, Cyclonis was awaiting news from a Night Crawler that had been sent to Terra Amazonia to monitor the progress of the experiment. The dark soldier jumped among the trees, searching for the Sky Knight, until he found him training with his sharpshooter. Then, he pulled out a purple crystal and used it to capture images of the scene he witnessed.

"Wow, this boy is recovering very fast! Let's see if he is already suffering the influence of the elixir." - the young empress said.

Aerrow and Finn continued with their agile and accurate movements, but without touching each other.

"Finn, did you realize that we're using real swords?" - the red-haired said sassy as he parried a blow from left to right with his blade.

"Just now I noticed, but what does it have to do with this?" - the blond boy asked as he hindered the movement.

"I was thinking, how about a little more daring training?" - he suggested with an undaunted smile and activated the weapon. The blue light reflected in his green eyes, giving them an intimidating look.

"I-I don't know if this is a good idea, Aerrow." - the sharpshooter stammered looking surprised at his leader.

"We won't hurt each other, I just want to make the training more realistic."

"But how do you turn this thing on?"

"Just pull the trigger attached to the hilt." - he demonstrated.

Once the boy lit his, the two fought again. Finn still had fear, he dodged and parried more often than attacked, he didn't want to hurt himself or Aerrow, he still was thinking it wasn't a good idea.

"You're too slow, Finn. Where is that master swordsman of a few minutes ago?" - the Sky Knight inquired as he rotated to the right, pushing his sword to give a more powerful blow. He wished more action.

"Don't you think we'd better stop for a while? This can go wrong and we'll be in trouble." - the guy said as he dodged the attack.

"C'mon, aren't you a sharpshooter? Use it to take advantage and leave the defensive."

The young blonde man wielded the sword tightly and let out a small blue burst toward his leader, who jumped to the side, protecting himself.

"Now you're speaking my language!" - the blond boy said excited.

Suddenly a shot came in his direction, and he had to duck to avoid being hit.

"Don't forget that I also have good aim." - Aerrow said with an intrepid smirk while Finn looked at the tree hit by the bright bolt.

"Maybe, but not as precise as my fatal one." - he boasted. Then he turned quickly and made a new quick shot with his sword. The red-haired inhibited the attack with his blade and the two made the battle more intense.

The black-haired girl was watching the flashy lights in her hologram with a malignant pleasure.

"Hm... That way he will end up hurting his friend, I see the elixir is beginning to take effect, although it hasn't reached maximum effectiveness yet." - she said.

The young guys continued shooting, dodging and matching the swords with incredible timing, it looked like a combined struggle, so perfect were the movements.

"I'll try something new: make my signature blow with a single blade. Get ready." - the Sky Knight announced as he absorbed the energy of his sword's crystal, leaped, took a few spins in the air and positioned himself to complete the attack.

"Piper will kill us when she finds out." - Finn warned laughing ingenuously.

However, after hearing the navigator's name, something happened to Aerrow: when he was about to finish his move, a voice echoed in his ears, calling him. The moment he looked at his friend, he had disappeared! In his place was standing the Crystal Mage, unarmed and reproaching her leader, _'Aerrow, stop it right now! You are in no condition to train this way.'_

His pupils shrank and his eyes widened. In this, the boy changed the direction of his body and unleashed a huge blast to the side, which exploded a big bough of a tree. Then landed on his feet standing there stunned, until he blinked: she was gone and his sharpshooter stood where she was seconds ago.

"Aerrow, what happened? You okay?" - Finn asked as he ran towards him. Aerrow was a little bewildered, so he didn't answer the question immediately. However, he regained consciousness quickly.

"I'm fine. Just thought I saw something. But it was nothing."

The blue-eyed boy was surprised by the situation and didn't believe completely in what he had just heard, when their stomachs began growling, and he soon developed his theory to explain what happened.

"Of course, with all this training I'm going to faint from hunger. I'm as hungry as Junko... Oh, I mean, almost as hungry as him, there is no way I could have that appetite."

"You're right, let's go back before I starve. And keep it a secret."

"Sure. The last one who reaches the skimmers will wash the dishes!" - the blond guy ran ahead, with the Sky Knight right behind shouting that Finn was cheating.

The Cyclonian watched wondering what prevented Aerrow from ending his strike.

"That was weird. Maybe it was just fatigue or hunger, after all the elixir is not at its apex of power, it'll still take some time. You can return." - she told her Night Crawler.

* * *

The boys were flying and were preparing to land at the hangar, but there they found someone who they least wanted, at the time, to receive them.

"The both immature and irresponsible guys better have a good explanation for what I just saw." - Piper began.

"Ah... Well..." - Aerrow tried to find words to justify himself when Finn interrupted.

"Were you spying? I can't believe your disbelief in us, Piper. If you're so suspicious it's because you don't give us a good example." - he dared to use reverse psychology.

"Don't even think about it, Finn. You won't escape trying to blackmail me." - she cut his move before he could even make it - "No need to spy to discover that it's just me going out for a few minutes that you already do tricks!" - she said pointing to the small scratches in their pants near the knees and in the sleeves of their blouses, near the elbows and wrists. The sharpshooter looked at his leader with an expression that clearly said "I told you we'd be in trouble".

"You know what? You're right. But it was my fault." - the Sky Knight said, leaving his friend stunned and making his Crystal Mage raise an eyebrow in surprise - "I know it was a bad idea to let my thirst for action to go way too much to my head. Even Finn tried to stop me, but you know how stubborn and insistent I am. Can't you give me a chance just this time?"

The other two were now even more surprised. Aerrow was redeeming himself that way? They didn't expect this.

"Hm... Okay. But just this time." - the girl finally decided as the blond young man smiled thinking that they got away.

"Yeah! Now let's go to the kitchen, I'm starving." - he said.

"I'll still keep an eye on you." - she ended as she watched the boys entering the hall. Soon she started thinking about how Aerrow managed to change her mind so fast! Was that so easy to convince her? No, it can't be. And this way of acting, that was pretty unusual. He slowed her down in a way he had never done since they've met! The guy was good...

* * *

After a good meal, everyone gathered the plates, glasses and silverware and deposited them in the sink.

"Your turn to do dishes, Finn. Don't forget that we had a bet and I won the race." - Aerrow said with a slightly arrogant smile as the others left and the sharpshooter mumbled - "This serves as a lesson so you'll learn not to cheat."

"But that burst of light that you shot in front of me was also a low blow." - he said as he picked up a sponge and soap and cleaned a plate.

"Don't take it so seriously. And even so it only made the race fair, since I got to reach you again." - the Sky Knight concluded and left the kitchen. The boy returned to think about what occurred in the woods earlier. Trying to figure out why Piper's image came to his mind. That was very strange, it looked like she really was there. Could it even be hunger? Perhaps, he didn't know for sure.

In these moments of reflection, the red-haired boy didn't realize that, while walking down the hall, he was actually following someone: his navigator. His legs were moving involuntarily, chasing the trail of the girl, as if they had a mind of their own. She calmly walked up to her room and entered through the automatic door that closed behind her. The young green-eyed man, who was immersed in his thoughts, didn't notice that he was still going the same way his friend was and knocked his nose on the door that opened right after.

"Oww..." - the leader groaned as he rubbed his nose.

"Aerrow? What are you doing here?" - the Crystal Mage asked.

"Huh?" - he was surprised, until he realized where he was - "Oh, sorry, wrong door." - and made his way back.

However, it seemed that something wouldn't let him go out: his body simply didn't obey. Understanding he was about to get into trouble, he tried to find a way to resolve the situation, when he looked over his shoulder and saw Piper was examining a yellow crystal and a red one that were familiar to him, then he decided to ask.

"What are you working on?"

"I'm trying to combine this solar crystal with a firebolt crystal."

"Can I... Watch? Sounds interesting." - he gave a very lame reason to stay there.

"Really?" - she turned to him with a skeptical gaze and let out a kind of ironic giggle - "Sure, sit down." - nodded towards another bench.

He settled in his seat near the table while she rubbed the crystals against each other. Aerrow seemed observant, however it was not the experiment that engaged his attention but the scientist behind it. He looked at her once, twice, thrice, finally, so many times that soon he'd no longer take his eyes off her. He couldn't stop imagining that she could have been in that forest in the morning. He thought about asking her, however quickly banished the idea, after all, the girl had said that she didn't need to spy the training to guess that he and Finn were doing what they shouldn't do, so she was not there. Still, it was very weird, that was so... Real...

Suddenly, an orange smoke began to form around the crystals. The Sky Knight stared at the little cloud of bright soot that at first seemed amorphous, until unexpectedly constituted the feminine face of his navigator and gave him a wink. He was so amazed he moved his chest backwards violently, and ended up falling flat on his back.

"You okay?" - the Crystal Mage reached out to help her leader to stand up, but when their hands were about to touch, a yellow bolt of static came from the girl's fingers electrocuting his hand.

He held his wrist with the other hand, pressing it to relieve the pain, leaned his head on the floor and squinted his eyes. The girl dropped the red crystal, stood up and squatted beside him.

"I-I'm sorry." - she faltered a little dismayed as she helped him sit on the ground.

"No, it's okay. It was an accident." - he said releasing his wrist and observing his slightly burned glove. He groaned when he opened and closed his fist to see if it was too injured, since it burned enough.

"Wait here and remove the glove." - Piper said, standing up and grabbing a frost crystal that was on a shelf while he bared his hand full of minor burns - "That will soften the sting." - then released a weak jet of mist from the bright blue crystal, which cooled down the boy's hand.

"Ah... Much better..." - he muttered - "Thanks."

"Are you feeling okay? You look tired."

"It must have been the training today."

"Why do you think I insisted so much for you not to make too much effort?" - she scolded him, causing him to pass his good hand by his hair like he always did when he was feeling confused, embarrassed or penitent - "Use this calm to relax and avoid getting hurt, because when problems like Night Crawlers terrorizing Terra Neon or sky sharks disturbing Terra Flora come, you will regret not having taken advantage of the vacation."

Game over. She won, give up, there is no more convincing arguments that might contradict her. Maybe he should stop getting into trouble, it was only hindering her work. He sighed in defeat and nodded, then stood up, turned and walked to the corridor, but not before looking over his shoulder at the orange smoke he noticed had become amorphous again.

"Remember to get a bandage on the infirmary so the wounds won't stay in direct contact with your glove, otherwise they'll only get worse." - the navigator said before he left her room, since she hadn't completed her experiment yet.

"Thanks for the tip." - Aerrow replied as the door closed behind him.

Now he was thinking about what he had just seen. What was that? It was the second time in the same day that the Crystal Mage's image appeared mysteriously. And this time the Sky Knight wasn't hungry. Whatever was happening, it was very strange and he was determined to find out no matter how...

 


	5. Above the Clouds

**Chapter V**

**Above the Clouds**

Aerrow was lying on the Condor's roof, with his head in his arms and doing something he rarely did: rest. He had decided to follow Piper's advice in the end. He watched the blue sky for at least two hours. He discovered, at last, some pleasure in this moment of contemplation. Well, relaxing was something rewarding after all. He really needed it.

The sun, shy, hid behind the lush trees. A gentle breeze played with his hair, walking amid the thick red hair, now free from his bandage. The emerald eyes stared admirably at the large, white and fluffy clouds. His mind, that just wandered in many deep and investigating thoughts about what he had seen three days ago, now chose to do something more enjoyable. He got up and went down to the hangar, climbed onto his skimmer and went out for a long ride...

* * *

Oh, the wind. How great is the feeling of the wind blowing in your face as you fly by the celestial vault with a skimmer. The boy enjoyed every second of emotion of hovering in the air like a bird. He'd do tours and tours around all the Atmos, but someone called him:

"Hey, Aerrow! Come here!" - Finn shouted.

"Hey, Finn. What are you doing here? Where are the others?" - Aerrow said.

"I was looking for you. Come with me, they're waiting."

The Sky Knight followed his sharpshooter that went higher and higher, towards something that seemed to be a kind of transparent force shield. After crossing that barrier, the leader realized his skimmer and Finn's became white with silver details and their clothes were completely white too. He was impressed, but continued following his friend. The blond young man flew over a huge cloud and turned the skimmer to the ground mode, disappearing behind it. Aerrow's eyes widened, until he flew over the cloud and saw his sharpshooter walking calmly on it and waving to the red-haired boy to land there.

Once he did, the two walked towards a large palace in the sky. It was an amazing building, with several details, ornaments and decorations, such as statues and figures carved into the walls. The doorway was very high and wide, it seemed to have been carefully sculpted by hand. Both came through the door and the Sky Knight noticed the ground became solid and stable, unlike the cloud where they were moments ago, and observed that there were Cyclonians dressed in white in the room, making him upset, specially because he was unarmed.

"Why are the Cyclonians here?" - he asked.

"Oh, everything's fine now. The war is over." - Finn said.

"It's... Over?"

"Yeah. And we won. They've become our allies since then."

"We won? But when was that?"

"Are you serious? Dude, I can't believe you don't remember." - he laughed as Aerrow looked at him confused - "It's a long story. There was a lot of fight, action, and, of course, my rock!" - he motioned with his hand and started headbanging with his tongue out. Even without understanding, the young red-haired refused to continue the interrogation: now he had a new curiosity.

"Where are we going?" - he inquired.

"We're having a party to celebrate the victory, only you were missing. I was assigned to bring you here." - the sharpshooter said as they approached a drapery - "I hope we didn't miss the opening ceremony." - then he pulled the cloth to the side - "Wow! Take a look at that!" - he spoke with a big smile on his face, showing the celebration.

All from Atmos were present! And dressed in white too. It was a large square surrounded by several trees and marble columns in the Greek-Roman style, with many stone benches and tables in which feasts had been placed, and a huge fountain gushing up crystalline water with someone making a presentation there.

Piper was holding two blue crystals in her hands and was doing stunts and dance moves, while the thin sheaves of water accompanied her. She wore a white gown that reached her knees and some kind of ballet shoes. Each step was performed with grace and perfection, her feet touched the water surface, but didn't sink, as if she were walking on it. Aerrow watched delighted with the delicate way the girl moved her arms from one side to another, carrying the stripes of water with her. The sunlight was refracted in the water drops released by the fountain, forming a soft rainbow, that was reflected in the wet stripes accompanying the young woman, creating the impression of a certain glow around her body and giving her an air of extraordinary beauty, which fascinated the emerald eyes of the Storm Hawks' leader.

The boy entered the square and approached the audience who watched the show, for a closer look. The girl proceeded to absorb part of the crystals' energy and suddenly moved her arms up into the air, firing a wide and bright blue volley that, after reaching certain height, exploded in fireworks and formed the Storm Hawks' emblem in the sky. Everyone admired it, then she did some pirouettes and finished joining her arms together abruptly, in a movement upwards and opened them again when they were raised, making the water sheaves collide and disintegrate into several droplets that reflected the colorful lights of the rainbow creating a beautiful light show with the fireworks. Everybody applauded as she thanked them bowing down, and then looked up at someone just behind the crowd.

"Aerrow?" - Piper whispered surprised. Soon everyone looked backwards as well.

"Hey guys, Aerrow is here!" - Finn said. All welcomed the Sky Knight, as the Crystal Mage passed through them.

"Aerrow! Glad you came!" - she said excited as she hugged him.

"It's great to see everybody is okay." - he spoke after placing his arms around her waist, returning the hug.

"Come on, everyone wants to greet you." - she pulled him by his hand.

"What euphoria. Not that I'm complaining, but why is everyone so excited to see me?"

"It's because you're a hero! Your leadership was absolutely brilliant. After you sent the Dark Ace to the Wastelands, it was easy to invade Cyclonia and make Cyclonis surrender. She is now arrested in the maximum security prison of Terra Atmosia."

The Dark Ace in the Wastelands? Cyclonis arrested? How wouldn't he remember that? But Junko interrupted his leader's thoughts.

"Aerrow, you need to try this! It's divine!" - he said handing him a huge plate full of cream cakes. For the first time the wallop served him something that was not too exotic to the point of becoming bizarre.

"Thanks, Junko. I see you're enjoying yourself." - the red-haired commented as he took one of the cakes.

"You have no idea!" - his eyes grew as he licked his lips. The boy laughed at his friend's voracity when someone called him.

"And how is the greatest Sky Knight of Atmos?" - the Interceptors' leader asked. She had changed her hairstyle after all those years: she let her hair grow a little and cut that thin horse-tail she used to wear.

"Maybe, I'm not all that, there's a lot of knights better than me. But hey, Starling, how have you been lately? I feel refreshed here." - he greeted.

"I'm great. And no need to be so humble, you know you have potential. I bet on you when you led the war, I knew everything would work perfectly with a Sky Knight of your style in command." - she replied - "You're already on par with him." - she nodded towards a statue of the glorious Lightning Strike rising his sword in the air and holding his shield in front of his chest.

He felt very pleased with the compliment, and other Sky Knights came to congratulate him. Harrier who dropped out the long hair, Burner which let the hair grow on the sides of the head, Blister that now had beard, Suzy Lu which started to tie her ears to the left side of her head, Billy Rex who grew a goatee and ruffled his hair and Tritonn with longer hair and beard. Other friends also came, like Dove who had her hair braided, Lynn with her hair tied in two horse-tails, Gareth wearing a forelock, Perry with the curly hair tied behind her head and many others from around the Atmos.

Then they began playing music and everyone went into the melody. Aerrow danced with every girl who had greeted him earlier, but one hadn't danced with him yet and the boy searched for her with his eyes, every time he swapped partners. Soon there were no girls for the dancing and all already had partners, but one was still missing, which left a certain void in the young red-haired boy. Until someone came from behind him, grabbed one of his hands, pulling it to her waist and grabbed the other with her arm raised and stretched, causing him to turn around and stay in a position to waltz.

"You didn't think you'd escape a dance with me, did you?" - the navigator joked.

"Oh, I was thinking about you right now." - he said coquettish for being with his girlfriend.

Both waltzed gracefully, at this point anyone who observed could see what a great dancer the Sky Knight was. Not long after, the sun began to set and the stars to shine. Aerrow had already spoken to everyone at the party and now walked with Piper near the gardens, to know the place better. Finally, he found his co-pilot near a small fountain, who ran and jumped in his arms, squealing happily.

"I'm glad to see you too, buddy."

In this, one of Wren's chickens passed by, grabbed Radarr's tail with her beak and dragged him back to the fountain. He dug his paws on the ground as he was led by the bird. His eyes begged for help while they could still be seen, but suddenly they only heard screams and saw a blue-furred animal running away, his face very flushed, and a hen flying after him. The other two laughed at the scene: Radarr would have a long night.

"Is there anywhere I haven't seen yet?" - the young red-haired asked.

"Hm..." - the girl rested her head on her hand as she thought - "Oh, come here. There is an incredible place I'm sure you'll like."

And she was right: the place must have been the most impressive one the Sky Knight had ever been to. You could see Terra Amazonia, Terra Gale, Terra Rex, Terra Blizzaris, part of Terra Neon at the distance and a small beam of light coming from the Far Side, forming a kind of northern lights over very high mountains.

"Wow..." - he sighed - "It's awesome... There are no words to explain it."

"I know, I felt it too." - she said.

"Ya know? I wish I could see the place where that light comes from better." - he looked at the polar lights from the Far Side - "I think there's a path there." - he pointed to some clouds that formed a narrow road toward the mountains - "Hey, how about seeing who gets there first?"

"Sure! You better run or you'll eat clouds!" - she ran ahead, leaving a great distance between them.

Aerrow reached her in a short time, then passed by her and looked back to see if she was coming close again, but when he turned his head forward, he saw a large gap on the floor and stopped right before falling. He watched the empty space imagining that would have been a nice fall. Suddenly he saw the girl pass by him running and thought she might fall, but she jumped, sweet as a ballerina, and landed perfectly on her feet in the next cloud. The leader was stunned by the shock and, at the same time, amazed to see that she was skilled like him.

"What's the matter, Sky Knight? Will you continue or are you afraid of some leaps?" - the Crystal Mage smiled defiantly. The Storm Hawk blinked in surprise and then smiled back, accepting the challenge. He took a few steps back, ran and jumped high, somersaulting in the air and landing on his feet and one hand in front of the cloud Piper was.

"Will you be able to follow my pace?" - he said.

"Don't be so confident..." - she jumped and fell onto her hands upon Aerrow's back, then flexed her arms and pushed her body upwards, reaching another cloud - "...or you'll be left behind."

The two jumped quickly on the clouds, feeling on a lot of adrenaline and emotion, it was like flying without their rides. In a few moments they saw the last cloud, jumped and stomped on it simultaneously.

"Draw..." - Piper said.

"Not bad, we should practice more times." - the boy said.

"Sure, and you were right: the view is much better from here."

He walked beside her and they observed several lights coming from a very eccentric place. They admired the landscape for a few minutes, when the silence began to get a little embarrassing, specially because they would have to come back sooner or later and, for him, they hadn't talked enough.

"Well... I'm... I'm enjoying being here and..." - he began.

"Me too. But maybe we should return, don't you think? I mean, before the others come looking for us." - she suggested. Darn it. No, he didn't want to, but eventually agreed.

"Yeah, that would be embarrassing, you know how they are. So let's go back." - spoke.

Both walked to the cloud's edge, when he decided to talk again:

"Don't you think that's weird?"

"What, exactly?"

"We're walking on a cloud, without sinking. Is there something special in here?"

"They're not normal, they're attachment clouds. Very few of them exist. There are rumors they're from the Far Side."

"So it's possible to stand on them all the time, like when we walk in a common Terra."

"Not always..." - she turned to him with a mysterious smile.

"What do you mean?"

The girl walked behind him and put her arms around his neck, as if she were hugging him.

"Just watch. Knowing you, I can say it'll be pretty cool." - she suddenly threw her body's weight backwards, pulling the boy abruptly, which made him lose balance and fall backwards, allowing the two to cross the cloud and enter into free fall.

"Piper!" - the Sky Knight screamed.

"Don't worry, you can just open your glider when you want to come back."

Of course! How could he forget that? His scream of terror had become one of pure adrenaline. He hit a cloud in the path, which then burst, leaving a trail of its mist.

"Woohoo! This is great!" - Aerrow said submerged in the pleasure of the action. Piper laughed at the smoke beard that had formed on her leader's face which was gradually disappearing, until she reached a cloud unexpectedly, frightening her by surprise, but she soon returned to giggle.

The young man looked at his navigator, when she passed through the cloud. The mist trails glowed with the northern light, making the Crystal Mage show a beauty the guy had never seen. Those seconds seemed to pass in slow motion. It was a delight to contemplate the charm she conveyed to him. However, the moment was interrupted when the two pierced a thick cloud.

"The next one is even bigger and thicker, I think we'll not pass through it." - the blue-haired girl warned him.

Both hit the cloud, which pushed them back as if it were a mattress, and then they landed on it, lying beside each other, laughing and having fun.

"Simply amazing! Now that's a good entertainment." - the Sky Knight said.

"Absolutely."

And they stared at the stars. The big cloud began to cool down and condense, indicating that it would flow at any time.

"Guess it's going to rain." - Piper commented.

"No problem, I'll take us to the square again soon." - he spoke as he placed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes.

* * *

Raindrops touched his face's skin while he was asleep. Aerrow opened his eyes and found himself lying on the Condor's roof, watching the gray sky, that was still light enough. He stood back and looked around: he was completely alone, with his same uniform, just like he was when contemplating the celestial vault earlier. It was only a dream. Oh, how much he wanted to be back on that cloud!

He fell to the hangar and his skimmer was there, with the same colors: blue, red and white. He sighed in disappointment and entered the hall, walking to the bridge. Until he heard a loud noise, followed by a quake and then the alarms started ringing.

"What was that?" - Junko asked.

"We've been hit! We must be under attack!" - Stork shouted.

"But who's out there?" - Finn pulled the periscope, but couldn't see anyone.

"What's going on?" - the Sky Knight rushed.

"We're being attacked!" - the Merb screamed.

"The worst part is that you can't see where the bombing comes from!" - the sharpshooter told him.

"Not for too long." - Piper appeared with her staff and a violet and yellow crystal, and fit the stone at the tip of her weapon - "Close your eyes!" - she warned, then pointed the staff upwards and unleashed a flurry of light through an opening in the sunroof, which exploded in the sky, forming a lot of smoke that reached a wide area around the Condor, revealing who were their enemies.

"Cyclonians. And this time, a large army." - the leader said.

The soldiers approached the ship slowly: it would be a big battle...


	6. Thirst for Battle

**Chapter VI**

**Thirst for Battle**

Bangs and tremors shook the Condor. Everything rattled inside. The panic filled the environment. Aerrow looked at the clouds below them through the window and had an idea.

"Stork, fly around the Terra at low altitude and go to the other side." - he ordered.

"Great, another flight in zero-viz." - the merb muttered as he held the helm.

"The others come with me, we'll distract those Cyclonians."

Everyone ran to the hangar, climbed on their rides and flew out, while the ship detached from the rocky arch (the same one which it had been attached to previously) and plunged into the mist. When the five other Storm Hawks became visible, the Cyclonians advanced in a frontal attack and began firing. Cyclonis watched everything through her hologram. She waited anxiously for what her guinea pig would show that day.

"Split up!" - the leader shouted and turned his skimmer to the side, deflecting more than ten shots.

Each one went one way: Aerrow and Radarr went to the left, Finn went to the right, Piper went upwards and Junko went downwards. The bright red bolts came from all directions. It was very hard to fly without being hit. The young ones maneuvered bravely and carefully through the skies to protect themselves.

"We have to send them to the defensive! Let's try the new combat plan!" - the Sky Knight said - "Is everybody with the velocity crystals we reserved?" - when his team nodded, showing the crystals in hand, he continued - "So let's do it!"

Simultaneously, all put their crystals in their afterburners. The vehicles were fueled by the energy and when they were accelerated, they flew very quickly. Everyone started flying around the soldiers, forming impenetrable circles: Aerrow, Radarr and Finn forming a horizontal circle and Piper and Junko forming a vertical circle. The enemies gradually concentrated on a bunch, moving away from the edges.

"Fire!" - Aerrow shouted, when they got the talons to pile up in the center. The blue shots hit several switchblades and heliblades that fell smoky and their drivers were hung by the parachutes, gliding adrift. Gradually, the army was reduced and the Storm Hawks were at an advantage, until the energy of the velocity crystals ended.

"Oh no. We were unable to beat many, there's still two thirds of the army." - Piper said as her heliscooter became slower.

"Then we'll have to improvise." - the young red-haired said - "Junko! Finn! Cover me as I dismantle the middle!" - he pointed his weapon to where they should go.

The three skimmers flew towards the core of that cloud of Cyclonians. The sharpshooter and the wallop blocked all the soldiers who tried to attack their leader, as he passed between the two. The guy jumped up and stood with one leg stretched back, standing on his seat, and the other bent with the foot flat on the left wing.

"Hm..." - he looked at his sword - "So it means I'm on par with him." - he remembered Starling's words from his dream - "Time to put my training into use and see if that's really true."

The Sky Knight absorbed the energy from his blades, leaped and stood as if he'd make his famous move _Lightning Claw_. But it wasn't what happened: instead of the wings that form around him turn into a large pulse of energy, as often happens, they were connected to his swords, as if they were large extensions of the blades! He somersaulted in the air as he fell, destroying several enemy vehicles and throwing its troops into the Wastelands. After having reached the midpoint of the cluster of talons, he bent his body, folded his arms around his knees, then suddenly opened them and brought them up to almost the middle of his back, releasing a large bright shockwave that devastated over seven circular rings filled with Cyclonians in that area.

His friends looked at him impressed. Since when did Aerrow know how to do that? It was amazing! And they weren't the only ones who admired: Cyclonis was stunned! How powerful was that guy! It was unbelievable! It was very similar to what the Dark Ace had done once, with an army of Sky Knights in the day he used the Aurora Stone to defeat them with a single blow!

The squad leader landed on his skimmer, which Radarr had led up to just below him, and looked around to see how their partners were doing. They kept fighting bravely. Junko threw the talons out with his fists illuminated by the green light from his knuckle busters, Finn hit all the soldiers with arrows from his crossbow and Piper used her staff to parry shots coming in her direction, sending them back to the gunmen and destroying their rides.

But soon, each one was ambushed by a large concentration of Cyclonians. The wallop and the young blonde were doing well, they formed a great duo, almost unbeatable, but the navigator was not having much luck. For being smaller than other vehicles and not having all those protections, her heliscooter was much more vulnerable and every time a red bolt struck it, even if it only caused a simple scratch on the fuselage, her ride slightly lost control, making it much harder for the girl to defend herself who, several times, had to maneuver her scooter to gain stability again.

The Sky Knight's green eyes narrowed and his teeth gritted as he watched the scene. Piper was completely surrounded and everyone was shooting intensely against her. If any of them hurt her, they would be signing a death sentence! Suddenly, a shot hit the girl's staff, which escaped from her hands and fell.

"No!" - she cried extending her arm as she watched her only weapon disappearing in the clouds.

The navigator looked around in despair, when another shot crossed her path, passing by her a few millimeters from her face, making her heart beat very fast with a scary feeling. Aerrow's eyes widened and his breathing stopped for a few seconds because of what he saw. Enough! He needed put an end to it now! He accelerated his skimmer to maximum speed, jumped on one wing, absorbed more energy from his swords, which made his body shine again, and leaped from the vehicle. In the moments he was in the air above Piper's heliscooter, he turned his body around several times, moving his arms from side to side, releasing lots of large pulses of energy, blasting all the enemy switchblades which were very close, while the rest, trying to escape, flew away. The young man landed on his vehicle, watching in great anger the talons fleeing.

"Aerrow!" - the navigator said, smiling relieved and grateful for his help.

"I think it's yours." - he told her, returning the smile, and then looked at his co-pilot who was holding the girl's staff. The animal stood up in his cockpit and threw the weapon to Piper, who grabbed it with one hand.

"Thanks." - she spoke shyly.

"I'm at your service, my dear lady." - he put his hand on his chest and bowed slightly, staring at her with a captivating look, which made her feel like she would blush a little, but he soon became serious - "If it's war they want, it's war they'll have. New plan: we won't just defend ourselves against them, we'll reduce the whole troop to nothing! Don't let any of them escape! I wanna see all them floating on their parachutes in the Wastelands!"

"But why all this, Aerrow?" - Junko asked while Finn approached behind him.

"Cyclonis and her wannabes always underestimate us. So let's make it clear to them who they're dealing with." - he closed his fist - "They think they can concoct anything at anytime and do whatever they want, right? Let's prove them wrong." - he hit his fist on the bodywork of the skimmer's wing. Everyone listened attentively.

"Why don't they take us seriously?" - he continued - "Because our ideals are completely different! We're altruistic and fair." - he said pointing his thumb to himself - "They're cruel and dishonest." - he commented pointing his forefinger to the talons - "For them, kindness is a synonymous of weakness. It's time to show them we can play this game of 'no mercy' too and beat them in their own sadism!" - he raised his fist determined.

His partners blinked in surprise. They never saw their leader so agitated! He was very irritated with all those Cyclonians. And it wasn't for less: he had to make them pay for all the times they tried to hurt his friends and all the insults directed to them. He promised that!

The young Empress watched in delight with the anguish, the anger, the wish for vengeance the guy felt. It was exactly what she wanted. Her plan seemed to be working at all.

Consumed by the battle flames running through his veins, the Sky Knight flew towards four talons, and, using the wings of his vehicle, he knocked them out of their rides brutally. The others looked at each other hesitantly, until Finn shrugged, pointed his crossbow towards the enemy soldiers and blew up several heliblades. When a switchblade went through Junko, he grabbed its wing, accelerated his skimmer, boosting his throw, and threw the ride towards a row of Cyclonians, destroying more than six vehicles. Piper also entered the battle, but this time she was prepared: placing a swarm crystal at the tip of her staff and holding a windstone crystal on the other hand, she pointed the weapon at the talons and unleashed a flurry of insects, then used the other crystal to push the swarm towards the soldiers. In this, four lines of switchblades and heliblades were completely eaten by the worms. Gradually the huge army was reduced and not long after, there were only sixty talons left.

"Follow me!" - Aerrow called his friends - "Now that there are just some, we can attract them to the Condor on the other side of the Terra and finish this!" - he ordered as all his teammates accompanied him, guiding the soldiers through the fog, then he warned the pilot - "Stork! Get ready to send some Cyclonians to the Wastelands!" - upon reaching the other side, he gave the signal - "Now!"

The Condor appeared from the clouds and began firing. Switchblades and heliblades tumbled from the sky in droves. Soon there were only twelve talons flying: Stork defeated three, Piper gripped one, Junko and Finn hit more four, Radarr knocked one off throwing a piece of pipe he had taken from his cockpit at his head and Aerrow attacked another one with his fists in his own switchblade, until he saw a ride flying above them, trying to run away.

"Don't let him escape! Shoot him!" - the Sky Knight yelled while blue shots went quickly towards the Cyclonian, but none hit him and he was almost out of reach - "Finn!" - he cried out for his sharpshooter, because he knew there was no one better than him to hit a hard target.

"Leave it to me!" - he replied as he shot one of the soldiers to his left and then took aim at the fugitive. But the first Cyclonian had managed to stabilize his vehicle, then accelerated and struck the wing of the young blonde's skimmer, which leaned too much to one side and caused him to miss the shot.

"No!" - the leader screamed seeing the second talon disappear on the horizon - "He got away!" - then looked downwards and saw the other soldier trying to escape too - "Don't even think about it, you're mine!" - he said gritting teeth, then absorbed the energy from his swords again, jumped, and finally did his _Lightning Claw_ , blowing up the fleeting heliblade.

Aerrow climbed on his ride again and met with the others who flew near the bridge, where Stork was standing, and waited. Once he approached, he was received with many compliments, everyone was amazed at what he had done during the battle, but the guy remained indifferent: he didn't feel any pride, after all, he let one of the enemies escape.

"He got away." - muttered.

"But he was only one, we beat over a hundred of them!" - Finn said.

"It's not enough. I was determined to not let any of them leave, but I failed."

"Darn, if I'd not missed the last shot..."

"No. It was my fault." - Aerrow interrupted - "I should have gone after him. A Sky Knight can't allow himself to be beaten. But it was exactly what I did: I lost."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Aerrow." - Piper said - "You did what you could, we all saw your effort. Don't get upset about it."

"It's very easy when you don't think about the how much everyone expects from you. I always must meet my goals. How can I consider myself a good leader if I'm not able to accomplish a goal that simple?"

"You're being too demanding. We don't expect you to do the impossible..."

"Are you saying you guys doubt me?" - he cut her off - "Great, that was all I needed to hear: my own squadron discredits my ability."

"That's not what I meant, you know it!" - she protested with slight harshness in her voice, then softened as continued - "You have so much potential. You proved it with all those incredible moves."

The Sky Knight remained quiet. He didn't find any answer, then decided not to argue. He didn't want to fight his navigator, it would be worse than being hit hard by the Dark Ace's glowing red sword.

"It's true, man. That was awesome!" - the sharpshooter spoke excited while the others nodded in agreement. Aerrow stared each one in the eye for a moment and realized they were being sincere. He blinked slowly, let his shoulders fall and turned his head down, staring at the clouds with a serene and slightly upset expression. He felt like an arrogant, stubborn, immature and stupid guy. Taking a deep breath, he let out a disappointed sigh with his own attitude.

"Thanks for the great job you did, I couldn't wish for a better team." - he said in a very cordial way and his squad felt very glad to hear these words - "Let's go. We deserve a rest." - he called his friends, then turned to the pilot - "Stork, land the Condor on the nearest surface."

Once the rides landed on the hangar, the merb took the ship to a clearing near the edge of the Terra and parked it there. Everybody entered the hallway without talking. The sun began to set and the rain chose to become a mild drizzle. Each one went to their rooms, and then everything became absolutely silent.

* * *

 

Cyclonis laughed in her dark room. She was numb in unspeakable happiness. It was all wonderful! Everything was working perfectly. Actually, to be honest, it was even exceeding her expectations.

"He's already becoming haughty! I wonder how he'll be when the elixir has taken full control of his attitudes." - and smirked maliciously, she couldn't wait for that day - "It will be so pleasant."

Her evil laugh echoed through the room and the walls. It could be heard from a long distance, if it wasn't consumed by the typical thunders from Cyclonia. Whatever she was planning, it for sure wouldn't end well for the poor Sky Knight...


	7. A Visit at Dawn

**Chapter VII**

**A Visit at Dawn**

It was night time. The sky was dark, there were only a few stars flickering, the others were hiding in the shadow of the moon that shone brightly. The clearing where the Condor was parked at remained calm and silent, except for some crickets chirping in the grass and bushes. Aerrow was on the bridge, outside. He observed the environment carefully, he wanted to be absolutely sure that there was no danger there, after all, they had never been there before. Until a voice came from inside the ship:

"Guys, come on. It's done." - Piper called the boys.

The young red-haired took a last look around and entered. He walked quietly down the hall and heard Finn, Junko and Radarr running to the deck because they were already feeling the delicious smell coming from there for a long time. After arriving there, their jaws dropped and their eyes brightened as they saw a table set up with various toppings and pre-baked pizza pastas available, so each one could prepare their own pizza the way they wanted. Beside, there were large glasses full of milkshakes of different flavors and some sauces to spice the pizzas or garnish the drinks. Stork then appeared and seemed to enjoy all the food, even though he kept a slightly indifferent expression. The sharpshooter shot up to the table and reached out to grab one of the pastas, while holding a plate.

"Don't be rude!" - the Crystal Mage slapped his hand softly - "Wait for Aerrow to arrive. Nobody will be served until all are present." - she said glaring at him, then looked at the door over the blonde's shoulder and her face softened immediately.

The Sky Knight had just entered. Soon, the others looked behind them and stared at him. The navigator smiled at him and said:

"Well, now that everybody is here, we can begin."

Finn returned to assemble his pizza, putting various kinds of fillings on it, the wallop and the co-pilot followed suit, the Merb went to the kitchen cabinets to fetch some of his cabbages. The girl watched the three gluttons devouring their huge pizzas, savoring each bite and making new pizzas when she realized that their leader was still standing at the door and walked up to him.

"Aerrow, aren't you coming?" - she called him.

He watched his friends gorging quickly and soon his eyes met Piper's. The boy felt at that moment that his presence meant a lot to her, who must have had much work to make all that alone and he had a feeling that it was mainly because of him, her eyes showed that: it was like a thank you for what he had done earlier. Aerrow could not refuse the request, it'd be an untold slight. Even if he wasn't hungry at all, he had to join them and share that meal.

"No... I mean, yes I will, sure. I'm just waiting for the others to calm down a bit." - he said.

"Don't hesitate, come here." - she put her hand on his shoulder and led him to the table where they sat almost face to face.

Stork returned with a pot of cabbages and poured them into his pasta. Junko was downing his fifth pizza, Radarr was in the third and Finn in the fourth. The wallop grabbed a small red-hot colored bottle, put the spicy sauce on his sixth pizza and placed it on the table, next to another small dark red colored bottle.

"Wow, I think I need a drink." - the sharpshooter said as he took a large glass of milkshake. Then stretched his arm towards the two bottles, looking for the strawberry sauce, grabbed one and gave a nice squirt in the drink. In this, the Sky Knight and the Crystal Mage noticed that the boy had used the wrong bottle and tried to warn him.

"Finn! No! This is..." - they warned in unison, but it was too late: he had already taken a big gulp and was smiling in satisfaction - "...Red pepper." - they completed.

The young blonde's smile vanished suddenly when his face started getting very red and his eyes started tearing up. He felt like fire was coming out through his mouth, ears and even his nostrils. His head was burning, and he screamed and ran across the deck. The pilot looked at Finn yelling desperately, then picked up another cup, and when the sharpshooter went through him, he poured all the milkshake in his face.

"Thanks." - the boy muttered wiping his face. And, as they usually did since they met, when some of the others did something stupid, but funny, Aerrow and Piper exchanged glances and soft smiles. Then the dessert came: chocolate truffles made lovingly by the navigator. All but the girl, her leader and Stork (who is allergic to chocolate), devoured the plate of sweets, leaving only some crumbs. The Crystal Mage stared at each one sharply and they looked at each other awkwardly.

"To compensate, take the dishes to the sink, at least." - she said. They collected the dishes and left the room, Stork grabbed his pot of cabbages and left as well. The Sky Knight stood up and began his path just behind them, carrying a few cups, one inside the other, with one hand, when Piper touched his shoulder, calling him. He turned around and saw her with her hand on her back. She took her arm forward and revealed to him two packets with some truffles inside.

"I knew they would eat the entire dessert, then I set some aside for us." - and handed him a package. The boy smiled at her and both went into the kitchen, where several dishes were deposited in the sink. The blue-haired young woman let out a soft sigh of dismay, after all, she was tired and had all those dirty dishes to wash.

"Piper, get some rest." - Aerrow said - "You worked hard cooking all that food. You can let me do the dishes."

"But you also struggled early in the fight..."

"That was nothing compared to everything you did today." - he interrupted her - "Indeed, to everything you do every day. You're always committed to various tasks and almost never take a break." - he continued, as she dropped her shoulders - "So go relax, I'll finish this in a minute. At least, I can chill out." - he said, but she still didn't move - "Well, if you won't go willingly, I'll have to carry you there." - he gave her a trickster smile.

Suddenly, before she could react, he laid a hand on her back, the other hand behind her knees and pushed the navigator's legs, who leaned back and fell into his strong arms, while they rose her from the floor. Piper hugged her leader's neck, afraid of slipping from his arms.

"Alright, alright. You won." - she said, and he let her on her feet on the floor of the hall in front of the kitchen's door - "Thanks." - she said staring at his eyes.

"It's the least I can do." - he shrugged.

"No." - she put a hand on his face - "Thanks for saving me... Again."

The boy felt his cheeks burning red, heat traveled through his veins, various sensations attacked him in those moments.

"Oh... I-it was no big deal. I know you would do the same for me. And I'll always help you when you all need. It's my duty as leader, but also a pleasure as part of this family."

"You're special. You have no idea." - she withdrew her hand from his face and began walking to her room, but not before giving one last caring look for her Sky Knight and saying kindly - "Good night, Aerrow."

"Good night, Piper." - he replied softly as he watched her disappear into the hallway. His legs were wobbly and weak, it looked like he would fall at any second, so he leaned against the door, and when he regained his balance, he returned to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

* * *

 

Nearly half an hour later, Aerrow washed the last dish from the big dirty pile that was in the sink some time ago. Not that he was not able to clean everything in a few minutes, he just wanted to take longer to do it. That way he could stop the nuisance his thoughts brought often. Anyways, he finished his task and put the dish in the cupboard. In moments, he was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. He looked at the mirror, staring at his face and ran his hand over his cheek where Piper had put hers. It was still warm. He never realized how much it made him feel good, it was a delight. He returned quickly to reality and walked to his quarters.

He opened the door carefully, Radarr slept at the end of the bed: he purred and his tail moved from one side to the other, he was in deep sleep, not even the light that entered the bedroom woke him up. His leader took advantage of the situation and quickly entered the room. In low light, he put on his pajamas, hung his uniform on a hanger and lied under the covers. He watched the ceiling for a few seconds, as if it were not even there and he were looking at the sky directly, he could even tell the position of the stars. Putting himself in his imagination, he closed his eyes and proceeded to relax.

* * *

 

Cyclonis was still laughing in her room, excited with the results her plans provided her. For the first time in years, she felt something was really working and soon she could rule her empire as before.

' _Please, no!_ ', she heard someone screaming. ' _Don't make me come back there! It's suicide!_ '.

The young Empress rose from her seat and walked to her door, when suddenly it flew open and two talons appeared, carrying another soldier who screamed and kicked, then released him on the floor in front of the Master of Cyclonia. He raised his back, but remained crouched, his arms and legs were shaking in terror. The Cyclonian gulped, hardly looking at the girl's violet eyes. She watched for a few seconds, then, staring at the other guards, asked bluntly:

"What happened?"

"Master, forgive me. It was not possible to fight them. All other talons were thrown at the Wastelands, I was the only one who could return. Master, I..." - he didn't finish the sentence. The despair gripped him completely, the soldier was trembling so much, he was so nervous he looked like he was going to suffer a heart attack.

"What should we do with him, master?" - one of the guards asked.

"Take him..." - she began as the Cyclonian closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the worst of the sentences - "...to his accommodations. Let him rest."

Everyone was surprised, however, quickly followed the orders and left the room. Soon, the sounds of metal boots hitting the ground echoed through the hallway, heading towards the double doors.

"You are letting a disqualified soldier go unpunished, master?" - Dark Ace asked - "This way we'll never obtain an elite army to finish the Storm Hawks."

She let out a slight chuckle before answering him.

"An elite army is not necessary, Dark Ace. Soon the Storm Hawks will be no longer an obstacle, and by their own free will."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's say the squadron will be disbanded by its own leader."

The black-haired man still was not sure about what to think, however it could be said that he was starting to suspect what his empress' plan was about, which intentions she had, at all. He sensed that something big was coming.

* * *

 

It was in the middle of the night. The Condor was in absolute silence, except for the loud snoring coming from Junko's room. Fortunately, everyone was sleeping too deeply to be bothered by that. It was cold that night, everyone was wrapped beneath their blankets. Radarr snuggled among several woolen blankets at the end of the bed, he was sleeping too intensely to realize a little incident that happened to his best friend.

Aerrow rested quietly, his face was peaceful as an angel's. Suddenly he felt something gently rubbing his head, but soon the feeling stopped. It must have been just an impression. Moments later, the soft brush through his hair began again, and then ceased. Again, the same friction continued and was interrupted frequently. It was starting to get annoying.

"Radarr, stop." - he whispered very softly, then he felt his co-pilot's furry tail gently touch his right heel. But if that was not Radarr rubbing his hair, then who was that? He decided to open his eyes after all.

The first time he opened them, his vision was very blurred, all he could see was the shadow of what looked like someone's head. The second time, he could see more clearly, he realized it was human and that it looked like it had approached his face. The third time, he was able to identify who was that: right there in front of his eyes, was, upside down, a beautiful female dark-skinned face, wrapped in straight dark hair, it had closed eyelids and gently clasped lips, lying only a few millimeters from his mouth. Oh, so that was it: it was only his navigator who stroke her hands on his head and now she was just about to kiss him... Kiss him?!

' _WHAT?_ ' He thought as he raised his chest quickly. He was panting, his face became even redder than his hair and his cheeks burned as if the boy were on fire inside. The Sky Knight observed around: the room was empty.

"It must have been just a dream." - he whispered to himself.

"I'd not be so sure." - a voice told him. When the young red-haired turned to see where the voice came from, he was astonished: Piper was standing there, leaning against the bedroom door, as if it were something she has always done every day since they've met.

"Piper, what are you doing here? Do you have any idea of what time is it?" - he asked, but it seemed to sound a little harsh if you judge the girl's expression after hearing this.

"Sorry for interrupting. I didn't think you would get so angry after seeing me. I'll be right back to my room. I won't disturb you again." - she answered and made her way out of the room.

' _Oh, darn it._ ' He thought as he stood up.

"No. Wait." - her leader called her, but the Crystal Mage didn't stop and never looked back - "Come back." - the door opened, and even with the light blinding his eyes, he kept following her until the door began to close again, but he managed to hold it before it shut completely, putting his hand in the doorway and grabbing it, then he pushed it aside and called her, still in a low voice - "Piper!"

However, it was too late: the girl had disappeared in the hallway. He blinked in surprise. How did she disappear so fast? And how did she enter the room so unseen? Neither Radarr noticed her!

"I think I'm having hallucinations." - he sighed and ran his hand behind his head, when something occurred to him - "No..." - he looked at his hand - "It was too real. There was actually someone here. I better talk to Piper in the morning, maybe even tell her about that strange crystal the Dark Ace used on me. It must be related to these illusions I'm having lately." - he then returned to his bed.

He also wondered why any Cyclonian would want him to have hallucinations? That made no sense! Was that going to cause damage after a while? If something happened to his friends he would never forgive himself, so he thought now was the time to tell the truth, before something bad happened and someone ended up injured or worse. 'No!' He banished those thoughts and scolded himself for being so pessimistic. He had to remain confident, always! Never show weakness. His team had to see him as invincible, he could not feel any lack of confidence from any of them. They couldn't doubt him in any way, ever again! Ah, that would be a long night...


	8. Melancholic Memories

**Chapter VIII**

**Melancholic Memories**

The sun rose behind the tall trees. The day was a little cold. Aerrow stood up and sat on the bed with his arms on his knees. He stared at the ground: his eyes were tired, since he couldn't sleep. Radarr shrieked and stretched, then crawled to his friend and greeted him stroking his head against his face.

"Good morning, Radarr. In my case, I don't know if I'm lucky." - he muttered as he rubbed his eyes that burned slightly.

He got dressed and went to the bathroom to wash his face. Fortunately nobody was using it at the time, so he might have some time alone to think about what happened last night. Why was he having those visions? What could that mean? What kind of plan could it be? How could he solve it? And why did he feel his body seemed to want so much that it didn't end? It was almost as if it were... Enjoying it. Ah, many questions in a very short time. He better think about it later.

He left the bathroom and walked down the hallway towards the deck, when he found his navigator in the bedroom door.

"Good morning, Aerrow." - she greeted.

"Good morning, Piper." - he said weakly.

"Did you sleep well tonight? Your eyes are reddish."

"Not much. I woke up this dawn and since then I couldn't sleep."

"What happened? Was it a nightmare?"

Nightmare? No. He couldn't say it was a nightmare, although it surprised him enough to keep him up the whole night. Indeed, it seemed like something inside him cursed him for waking up at that moment, as if it wanted to have experienced that feeling. Anyway, that was the time to tell her what was going on. The problem was: how? What would he say? _'Well, I dreamed about you entering my room and trying to... Kiss me?'_. No way! What would she think of him? She could get angry enough to not talk to him and never ever look at him in the eyes again. Moreover, he didn't mention the strange crystal that the Dark Ace had used. If he told that only now, after weeks, she would think he didn't trust her because he held a secret all this time and would be very hurt, after all they never hid anything from each other. He would be putting their friendship at risk! Something he found much worse than his own death: losing a friend. He couldn't let that happen. But then what? Finally, he found a way out before he got into trouble for being slow to answer the question.

"I just lost sleep. It must have been the stress from yesterday."

"Are you still upset because of that talon?"

"No, no. Not at all." - he reassured her, and both walked into the kitchen.

* * *

After a nice breakfast, the Sky Knight was on the outside of the bridge, watching the view. He was still debating whether or not he was supposed to tell what had happened in the cave and what has happened lately. But something kept him from doing so, as if something alive inside of him, gradually took control of his actions, just like his body seemed to have its own mind when it made him follow his Crystal Mage involuntarily to her room.

He noticed that recently, he felt much more strength to train and improve his moves and they have become much more powerful. He wanted to fight and defeat their enemies with greater intensity. It went further: he came to feel a certain desire for revenge, which made him a little worried.

He also noticed strange sensations afflicted him sometimes when Piper was around, usually at times when she gave him a friendly touch or a loving gaze. What surprised him was that the he seemed to like it. That brought them closer, and the boy felt good with that perception. The closer to his best friend, the happier he became. He couldn't bear losing her. He finally decided to try to find out by himself what was going on, before revealing it to his squad.

* * *

Inside the Condor, the other Storm Hawks watched their leader through the window. They felt bad for him, they came to blame themselves for not being able to stop that Cyclonian. Aerrow had taken it very seriously, and they let him down.

"I don't know what to say. I think he no longer trusts me. I can't believe I missed! Me! The Finnster!" - Finn said, recalling the moment when the mission's success depended on him. Stork's eyes widened suddenly, he removed from his pocket an object shaped like a fork made of an orange crystal and a wooden handle, and pointed it towards the sharpshooter.

"You... You have low self-esteem! You're certainly suffering from a rare disease, an infection with the worst mindworms that exist: those that accrue to your soul!" - the merb was gesticulating wildly - "Fortunately, I found a quick way to kill them." - then hit a button on the wooden handle that made the crystal piece release some shining static beams.

"What is that thing?" - the blond boy asked.

"The cure." - the green pilot replied, and touched the crystal on Finn's chest. Instantly, the sharpshooter began to tremble and twitch because of the high voltage shock the crystal was sending to him. Once he was finally free of static, he started walking backwards with his hands in front of him defensively.

"Never, EVER do that again!" - he warned, but Stork continued walking towards him. Piper was about to prevent the merb from electrocuting the boy again when she heard a noise coming from outside the bridge and drew her teammates' attention for the sound.

Suddenly, they saw the young red-haired jumping over the bridge's guard-rail and sliding down the roof to the airstrip. He entered the hangar and went to his skimmer. He ran his hand through the bike's bodywork, deciding whether or not to take a ride that day. He opted for going on foot. He walked to the edge of the runway and prepared to jump.

"Where are you going, Aerrow?"

The Sky Knight turned around and met with Junko. The wallop's face was sad, but at the same time comforting and curious. The flight engineer really cared about his friends and felt guilty. Radarr soon appeared and stood beside him, looking at his best friend pitifully.

"I'll go for a ride to recon this place. Do you want to come with me?" - he suggested.

Junko and Radarr smiled at the idea and nodded excitedly. The expression on their leader's face showed that he was happy too, and it relieved and reassured them.

"Don't you even think about stepping your feet in here before cleaning them properly." - the pilot came on the hangar - "You can bring terrible unknown lethal contamination whose antidote I may not possess, since you'll be walking through an unexplored area of the Terra." - he saw the wallop cringe scared and grit his teeth, while the co-pilot was hiding behind his own tail - "And take this..." - he pulled out a spray from his pocket - "...it serves to ward off poisonous beings." - then threw the can to the green-eyed boy, who grabbed it with one hand.

"No problem, Stork. Thanks for the tip." - Aerrow gave a slight laugh and placed the spray safely on his uniform, then motioned to Radarr to climb on his shoulder, what the animal did with a leap, however, since he had grown a lot, he was also much heavier, causing the boy to lose his balance and to lean forward so that the two fell off the track.

"Aerrow!" - Junko screamed. Stork and he ran down the ramp, which the merb had opened in the hangar, and walked to the Sky Knight's body (lying face down), watched by his best friend.

"Wow..." - the young red-haired raised his head and muttered - "I think someone here needs to stop eating too much candy."

The co-pilot squealed in shame.

"I'm sorry, maybe I should feed myself healthier." - the flight engineer said, but got confused when he saw the two partners staring at one another and giving him weird but still amused looks - "What?"

"Ah..." - the pilot touched him on the shoulder - "He was referring to Radarr."

"Oh, sorry." - he smiled shyly.

"Well, let's go." - the leader said and the three left.

* * *

In her room, Cyclonis was lying in a big bed. She stared at a meaningless point, she was traveling by her memories...

_In the dark throne room, a little girl came through the double doors, running with a doll in hand and laughing._

The empress looked away and saw a picture of her with her predecessor, in which she was smiling innocently while her Grandmother was serious, impressive, showing power.

_Cyclonis got off the throne and ran around the room, her arms open._

_"Look at me! I'm riding a switchblade!"_

_A young dark-haired man was also present. He was kneeling in front of the throne, making an oath of loyalty to Cyclonia. The boy had just been named 'Dark Ace'. The girl ran around the former Storm Hawk, and then stumbled, but the boy grabbed her arm before she fell._

_"Don't worry, I got you."_

_Cyclonis smiled and began pulling him._

_"Come on! Let's play!"_

_Dark Ace looked at the empress, who just stared at him indifferently and motioned to the guards to let them go through the door. The boy turned to the girl who almost dragged him out. She dropped his arm and started running down the hall._

_"You can't catch me!"_

_He blinked in surprise. Did the empress want to turn him into a nanny?_

_"Come on!" - she called him._

_He sighed, lowered his head and followed the child._

The young woman got out of bed and walked to the window. She pulled the dark curtain aside, so that only half of her face was visible from the outside, and watched. The Dark Ace trained in the courtyard beside the building. He practiced his marksmanship and his fighting moves.

_In the courtyard, Cyclonis ran, while the boy was chasing her. He was getting exhausted; she was so fast and had so much energy! A few minutes later, he didn't resist and fell to his knees panting._

_"Impossible. I can't keep up."_

_The girl laughed and walked over to him._

_"Oh, okay. Come with me, I need a little help here." - she took his hand and led him to a tree - "Can you lift me?"_

_Dark Ace joined hands and allowed the child to place a foot there. Seconds later, she jumped on the floor with two apples in hand and gave him one._

_"Take it; you should be as hungry as I am."_

_He smiled. Maybe taking care of the girl wasn't so bad, at least for now._

The Cyclonian Empress turned around and looked towards a compartment full of crystals on the wall. Her face was now a little bit sad.

_Five years had passed. The girl was sitting on a rock in the middle of the courtyard, controlling some crystals telepathically. She made them float around her. Gradually she increased their speed, so they were about to create an energy field._

_"Cyclonis?"_

_Upon hearing the voice, she lost control of the crystals that were thrown away in various directions, narrowly missing the person who came to see her._

_"You scared me! Don't do this anymore!"_

_"Sorry! I just wondered what you were doing." - Dark Ace said wryly._

_"I was trying to improve my crystals mastery. But now I have to look for them there."_

_"If you want to, I can help. I still have much time until my training starts."_

_"So let's hurry. I have to finish this task by the end of the day and the sun will go down soon!"_

_As a way of motivation, the two started a kind of competition: the one who brought more crystals to the rock in five minutes would be the winner. Some time later, each one had brought eight crystals, but one was missing, and there were still 30 seconds left when the boy spotted the crystal in a tree. Cyclonis picked up a pebble on the ground and threw it on the branch where the crystal was stuck in. It slipped a little, but didn't detach._

_"Time to claim victory." - the young man said, then drew out his sword, took aim and fired into the air. The branch broke, dropping the crystal. Dark Ace reached out to catch it, but when he was about to touch it the crystal began to float and flew to the child's hand._

_"Don't be so sure." - she laughed triumphantly._

_"But you have to put it on the stone, which means I still have a chance to get it out of you."_

_Thus, the two ran up to the rock. The boy was much faster now, his training made him more resistant, agile and stronger, so he had no trouble in reaching her. Soon, he held the crystal, however, the girl didn't let go. The two continued fighting until the Dark Ace pulled too strongly and trailed Cyclonis along, which made him fall backwards and the young girl fall on him. From this position they didn't move, they were panting and tired, but they only needed a few seconds._

_"The crystal is mine! I have to put it there!" - the girl said._

_"No, I will! I'll do this for you." - he said, and began to push her with one hand, but then she started laughing._

_"Stop! It's not fair, that tickles!"_

_"Oh, really?" - he smirked and took advantage. However amid the girl's laughter, the guy ended up completely forgetting the competition. In those times there was only him and her, nothing more. Finally, he had mercy and released her before the poor child choked with laughter. Both watched the setting sun for a while, until Cyclonis remembered her duties and stood up quickly, letting the Dark Ace confused._

_"I must reach the laboratory as soon as possible!"_

_"But..."_

_"Thanks for helping me with the crystals. Good training to you!" - was the last thing he heard her say. Finally, he sighed, stood up and headed to the training place._

The Dark Ace glanced at the sky and saw the sunset. It was enough for the day. He needed a bath. Then he turned towards a door that led to a small corridor, which brought back a memory...

_He walked in that corridor when he heard a terrible crash and cries of agony. They came from the lab. He ran up there and found a static and shaking Cyclonis, glancing at a fixed point. She didn't demonstrate that she noticed his presence. From the place that the girl was staring at an amorphous shadow came out, with an intense energy, it could be felt. The shadow disappeared and the man went to the young lady._

_"What happened?"_

_No response. Her eyes were empty. It was as if she were not there. That made him worried: his mission was to protect Cyclonia's heir._

_"Da... Dark Ace?..." - she stammered weakly._

_"Yes, it's me. What happened?" - he crouched beside her._

_"It's... It's freezing here."_

_Freezing? The day was even a bit hot! Cyclonis suddenly began to shake uncontrollably. That scared him. In an attempt to keep her warm, he wrapped his arms around her and remained that way for a moment. She was so fragile. He had never seen her like that. She had no reaction to his touch, but the shake gradually softened involuntarily. Within minutes, several guards came to see the place. The girl was taken to an infirmary and the Dark Ace returned to his room._

_From that day on she was never the same. She returned from her state of shock so completely different: she was no longer the happy girl, she was now a serious young woman, master of a great power, with even greater responsibilities - as she inherited Cyclonia's empire at the time. Since then, the Dark Ace became her right-hand man, due to their closeness. And at that time he had vowed to always support and defend her. He had that duty and wouldn't hesitate to comply._

Cyclonis got out of her room and looked at a picture of her predecessor that was in the hallway.

"Hm. You never really cared." - she said and continued her way to the throne room.

 


	9. Girl Made of Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can view an old sketch of a scene of this chapter [here](https://123leyang321.deviantart.com/art/Sweet-Illusions-old-sketch-Chapter-9-413566542).

**Chapter IX**

**Girl Made of Water**

Oh, nothing better than a recon mission to distract your mind. He really needed to remove all those questions from his head, even if for just a moment. Relaxing was rewarding. His friends seemed to be thankful for his company as well, and he felt the same. It was like they drained his worry and removed it from him.

The environment was calm. The trees seemed nice, the ground was gentle with their feet, the air even purified their lungs, in other words, there was no better way to reach immediate well-being at that moment. Suddenly, Aerrow felt a delicious smell, but he wasn't sure where did it come from. Radarr seemed to have noticed the smell as well, since he started sniffing the air.

"Where do you think this is coming from, Radarr?" - he asked.

The co-pilot pointed to a certain direction and ran. The wallop and the Sky Knight followed him. The leader realized the fragrance he had felt was becoming more and more imperceptible. Was the mission specialist mistaken? Impossible, his nose was much more accurate. Then what was Radarr smelling? A few minutes later, they stopped and saw something amazing. It was a huge lake with crystalline water below a small waterfall, surrounded by several very tall trees.

"Wow..." - Junko was agape.

"Guys, you have to see this." - Aerrow said through his communicator.

* * *

 

On the Condor, the rest of the group received the message.

"Where are you now?" - Finn asked him.

' _Nearly 4 miles west from where the Condor is parked at._ '

"We're on our way. Is there a safe landing area in the region? I don't want scratches on my ship." - Stork told him.

' _Yes. We found a clearing. We'll signal when you arrive._ '

In instants the Condor landed on the clearing. The sharpshooter got down from the hangar wearing sunglasses and took them off once he saw the view.

"Dude..." - was all he managed to say. Soon after he brought a chair, took off his shirt and accommodated himself to get tanned.

"Hey, guys, I think I got us an awesome dinner!" - Junko told them.

Finn saw a shadow and lowered his sunglasses, looking for what was blocking the sun, then he screamed when he was hit by a fish that knocked him off the chair. The animal was twice bigger than Radarr and thrice heavier.

"What is this thing?" - the blonde guy mumbled. The fish seemed to be offended and hit its tail on the sharpshooter's face.

The wallop approached them, grabbed the animal and said smiling:

"This is a freshwater pearlhake. One of the best fish in the whole Atmos!"

Well, it was a beautiful animal, all pearly, and it seemed to be very soft, maybe it was indeed tasty. Junko took it to the kitchen, Finn decided to take a bath, because he was smelling like fish and Aerrow walked to his room.

Suddenly, that same fragrance from earlier drew his attention again. Where did it come from? He resolved to follow his nose. In the corridor, he found Piper leaving the bathroom while the sharpshooter waited by the door.

"Finn, what happened?" - she said while holding her breath. Finn simply looked backwards, pointing to Junko placing the huge fish on the kitchen's sink. Piper giggled and continued on her way.

She passed by Aerrow and greeted him with a smile and a nod, then went to the bridge. At that moment, the Sky Knight realized the smell came from his navigator. He was astonished: whatever perfume she was wearing, it was so good that the sensations the fragrance caused were prolonged in his memory. He pushed those thoughts aside, then went to his room to remove his armor. Much more comfortable!

* * *

 

Cyclonis entered the throne room and sat on her fancy chair. After a depressing morning, she wanted something to lighten her humor a bit. She looked at a screen near the throne and turned it on.

"Have you found them?" - she asked to the Night Crawler that appeared on the huge monitor.

"Yes, master. They have moved to a new location." - he showed her the lake with the waterfall.

"Good. Report any progress you see on my experiment."

"Will do, master." - he said and turned the communicator off, so he could focus on getting into position before he called her back, showing some footage of what he was seeing.

* * *

 

Junko was cleaning the huge fish and preparing it to cook it outside. Yep, he was going to make barbecue, with a fish. Finn thought the idea wasn't that great, but well, at least it was an actually tasty looking meat, it could have been worse, much worse. That thought sent shivers down his spine, he would never forget what eating squid-like creatures still alive was like, ever...

He pushed those traumatic thoughts aside as he saw Stork and Piper carrying a large round table to the landing pad, so he decided to help them. Radarr also wanted to lend a hand, he held the table by its central foot, since he wasn't tall enough to reach the round border the others were holding. Not long after, they had placed the table carefully on the ground and had put a tablecloth on it, along with six dishes and silverware for everyone. Then they brought some chairs as well.

Aerrow had left his room and was making his way towards the hangar bay, when he heard his teammates talking about him. He hid behind the wall where they couldn't see him, so he could listen to their conversation.

"Is he still feeling bad?" - Finn had asked.

"Well, his mood was pretty good when Radarr and I walked with him in the woods." - Junko replied while flipping a piece of the fish to cook the other side.

Radarr chirped and nodded in agreement.

"I sure hope all this will bring the old Aerrow back." - Piper said in an optimistic way.

The Sky Knight felt terrible after hearing that. They were really worried about him. He was making all of that because a Talon had escaped him, that was so childish. And that other subject that was on his mind shouldn't ever leave it! He was completely able to deal with it by himself, he didn't have to cause trouble for them. It was time to move on and act like a true leader.

He quickly ran to the kitchen and grabbed six glasses, then went back to the hangar bay. He slowly made his way out of his hiding place, his eyes looking at the floor, while he tried to find good words to say to his comrades.

"I think we're done here." - the Crystal Mage said after finishing distributing the plates on the table, then she started turning around - "I'll just go get some glasses and..." - she didn't get to finish her speech, because she bumped into an unaware Aerrow on the way to the kitchen. Both stared at each other awkwardly for a moment, the red-haired boy trying his best to prevent a strange feeling that came to him to surface.

"Guess I got it covered already." - the leader said sheepishly.

"Thank you, Aerrow, ah, I didn't realize you knew we were preparing this, it was supposed to be a surprise." - she told him.

"Sorry about that. I actually wanted to tell you all that I'm fine and I've moved on. I'm sorry for bragging so much about something so stupid, but, ya know, I'm stubborn." - he said, rubbing his hand against the back of his head while his friends giggled at the stubborn remark - "So I decided to join you guys in this and help you to organize everything so we all can enjoy."

"Sweet, man!" - Finn said.

Oh, it was really great to have old Aerrow back! The Sky Knight proceeded to help the others, while the navigator observed, a warm smile grew in her face and never left it. Indeed, it was truly amazing to have Aerrow back to normal.

"Hey, guys!" - Junko drew their attention - "Barbecue is done!" - he then showed all the pieces of the fish in a huge plate.

Wow! They surely looked tasty, they also had a delicious smell! Everyone tried it, even Stork didn't hesitate, for the very first time! The meat was really soft, and since the wallop didn't remove the fish's skin, it became a tasty crunchy layer involving the meat! Another good thing was that this fish seemed to have no bones! Instead, it had a kind of hardened tissue that held its body's structure together, pretty much like bones do, but the tissue can be cooked and become soft! So they didn't have to fear accidentally biting on a bone.

Aerrow felt he was really lucky. Great meal from Piper not too long ago, now an amazing meal from Junko too! He couldn't complain about anything at all! Plus, he was among his friends, his family, and no bad guys were causing trouble so far. That break was simply all he needed to feel like he was in heaven. Ha, that minor problem about those strange feelings he had been experiencing were nothing compared to all the great things that have been happening lately. Well, time to enjoy after all.

* * *

 

Cyclonis kept observing. She enjoyed the look of agony on the Sky Knight's face when he was worried and cursing himself. He had a change of mood several times, and that's exactly what she wanted. Soon it would drive him crazy. She smirked evilly in thought. Oh, it was delightful that everything was going so perfectly according to her plan!

* * *

 

After that fine meal, Aerrow rested near the lake. His back laying against the soft grass, and his head resting on his arms, supported by a comfy tree. The wind brushed his wild hair away from his face and cleared his mind from all that trouble. Just relax, don't think about anything.

But then, he heard a sound coming from the water beside him. He got up from his resting place and crawled to the border of the lake. He observed as bubbles that seemed to be coming from deep in the lake were starting to disappear. Then, after no more bubbles came, something really strange happened.

Aerrow's reflection in the water started to change, it transformed into Piper's face, but as if he were looking directly at her, not a mirrored face, like it should be. Also, the face was transparent, but her features could be clearly seen.

He squinted his eyes and blinked a few times, to be sure it wasn't real. But the face didn't leave, neither his reflection came back. He then noticed the face seemed to be coming closer somehow, and he didn't realize his body was bending forward a bit, drawn by the face.

All of sudden, the water morphed into the navigator's body, then shot up out of the surface, grabbing Aerrow's head softly with its watery hands and placing a kiss on his lips. He froze, his eyes were wide open and his face was as red as his hair. Unable to react or even to acknowledge what was going on, he got pulled into the lake by the girl made of water.

Underwater, the watery Crystal Mage disappeared. Aerrow wasn't even confused by that, he just wasn't paying attention to anything anymore. He simply couldn't remove that wonderful sensation he felt with that kiss from his mind. All he could think of, was that it was amazing. He touched his lips, as if he was trying to relive what had just happened again. He smiled broadly, his eyes were partially closed, as if he was in a trance.

But then, his lungs started screaming for more oxygen, which he didn't have time to breath before he got pulled in. That alert snapped him out of his trance and he finally surfaced, gasping desperately for air. Breathing heavily, his mind once again traveled to his thoughts about that incident. Ignoring completely the fact that the girl made of water almost made him drown, he just kept daydreaming about the kiss.

"Aerrow, are you okay?" - Junko shouted while running to the border of the lake.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." - the Sky Knight replied, leaving his dream behind.

"Are you sure? You were acting a little strange about the water, and then you fell in the lake." - Piper said.

"Oh, yes, I'm okay." - Aerrow reassured her, then he realized what she had just said - "Wait, I _fell_ in the water? You, you didn't see _anything_ different?"

"Not really, man. It was just you, then you fell face first in the water." - Finn told him - "Were we even supposed to see anything?" - he shrugged confused.

Oh, that's not good. Now they were going to question his sanity. Well played, Aerrow, well played... Couldn't keep everything to himself, could he? He just had to spill it all out. Now what? Reveal all those hallucinations? And then say he kept it all from them for months?

"Aerrow, are you even listening?" - Piper interrupted his thoughts.

Was she even talking? Awesome! Now he didn't even notice his best friend, the person he treasures the most, was speaking to him... Treasures the most... He had never thought of it that way, only now he realized that. And that somehow meant a lot to him... Those feelings, they're so strange, yet so familiar... So unusual, yet not uncommon... So odd, yet great... Ahh! What was he thinking?! Better push all that aside and fast!

"Aerrow!" - his navigator was now upset.

"Huh?" - he finally snapped out of his mind - "I'm sorry, Piper. I just..."

"You didn't move on at all, did you?" - her voice was actually sad.

"What? No! This has nothing to do with that. I moved on, really!" - he was alarmed now.

Oh, what a mess!

"Then what is it? We are worried about you, Aerrow!"

He could feel she was being very sincere, her voice sounded a bit shaken. He could tell that among all of his teammates, she was the one that worried the most, along with Radarr, of course, but the poor creature couldn't really voice his thoughts.

"It's nothing serious. I'm just feeling guilty for all the worry I have caused to you." - he said, and by the looks of it, everyone seemed to buy it, but even though it wasn't entirely true, it wasn't a lie either - "I'm really sorry for what I've been doing. You are the best squadron ever, and I know we're always getting better and better. I really don't know what came over me. I'm not pessimistic, you guys know me. But I'm pretty sure it was just a phase. And it's over now."

All his friends seemed to be relieved by the fact that Aerrow actually acknowledged a problem and assumed it in front of them all, then decided to leave it behind and find a cure. They all smiled at him. Then his friends, but Piper and Radarr, went back to the Condor.

"Well, I'm glad you were sincere." - she said. And Radarr nodded. He was glad too.

Sincere... That word actually hit his head really hard and it truly hurt. His conscience would surely kill him later, he could already tell.

"I wouldn't lie to you guys. I can't keep my problems only to myself, right?" - he said, and then felt himself being stabbed by his conscience.

Way to be false, Aerrow. The Cyclonians would be really proud. What about some backstabbing now? Since he was already becoming a professional liar! No! No! No! Just NO! STOP!

"That was a wise decision, fearless leader!" - Piper said jokingly and Radarr saluted, also in a joking manner.

The Sky Knight couldn't hold back his laughter. Yes! Way to go, Piper! Aerrow's conscience couldn't disturb him anymore for now, thanks to such a neat change of mood!

"Thanks, perfect navigator and expert mission specialist!" - he joined their joke, while his two comrades giggled... Well, Radarr made a sound that could be considered giggling, anyways.

The three returned to the Condor, smiling happily. Aerrow and Piper walked beside each other with Radarr between them. Yeah... To enlighten the mood, that's the way to do it!

* * *

 

In her room, Cyclonis was trying to understand what had happened in the lake. Why did Aerrow fall? He surely took long to come back for air, he nearly drowned. Was there a kind of creature in the lake? No... She replayed the part in which he fell and observed carefully. He simply... Fell... And that was it.

"Hm... That was really strange..." - she was thinking while staring at the transparent installation crystal in her hand - "Well, as long as something involving a possible death for him happens, I'll be glad." - she smirked.

Ah, wasn't that a pleasure? She turned on her screen to speak to her Night Crawler again.

"Camp nearby and stealthily, then track his every move. I'm eager to know what other surprises are in store." - she ordered him.

"Yes, Master." - he bowed and turned his communicator off, so he could do the task.

Cyclonis laughed, her cynical voice echoing through the large Throne Room. Delightful! Just delightful!


	10. Realization and Acceptance

  **Chapter X**

**Realization and Acceptance**

Later, after that incident in the lake, Aerrow was in the bridge, resting his back on a wall and observing while Stork was adjusting a few things on the Condor. The merb kept turning around a ball made of glass with two iron rings inside, as if he were trying to fix something.

"Is there anything wrong, Stork?" - his leader asked.

"No, no... The Condor just got a bit rusty for being way too long near a humid place like this lake. But nothing some oil and daily maintenance can't fix." - the green pilot grabbed an oil can that was nearby on the floor and proceeded to drop some oil on the joints of the metallic structure that held the ball of glass - "There. Much better." - he smiled slightly.

Aerrow felt happy that Stork actually enjoyed something and truly showed it in front of him. Generally the merb would always complain about pretty much everything, but he did start liking things more sometime ago. The Sky Knight noticed the weather was becoming colder and colder, or so he thought.

"Wow... It's chilly in here." - he said.

"What are you talking about? Terra Amazonia is hot all the time!" - Finn appeared with Junko and Radarr following close behind, he used his own hand as a fan - "I'd love an air conditioner right now."

"Tonight is going to be one of the hottest nights of the year in this Terra." - Piper entered the bridge as well - "I suggest we all take a shower before going to sleep, so we'll feel fresh."

The red-haired guy started sweating and he felt weak. He bent his back forward slightly, trying to stop feeling dizzy.

"Aerrow, are you okay?" - the wallop noticed his leader's behavior.

The Sky Knight didn't answer, his eyes rolled upwards and he just fell forward on the floor.

"Aerrow!" - Piper shouted and kneeled beside him with Radarr running to his side as well.

Both turned him around, so his face wouldn't be brushing against the ground. The girl placed two fingers on his neck to check if his heartbeat was normal, then checked his breathing as well. After confirming both were normal, she placed her hand on his forehead.

"What's wrong with him?" - Finn came closer, watching his leader.

"He has a fever." - the navigator said - "Fortunately, it's not too high, but I think he overdid himself when he fell into that lake today." - she commented - "He needs to rest. Take him to the infirmary, I'll go ahead and prepare some medicine to help with the fever."

Junko carefully picked his leader up while Piper ran to the infirmary. When the wallop arrived carrying the Sky Knight's body, the Crystal Mage had already prepared the medicine. The big guy placed the body in the gurney and they noticed Aerrow had briefly opened his eyes. He was still conscious!

"Aerrow, you have to swallow this." - the girl brought a spoon filled with the medicine close to his mouth.

But he couldn't understand what she had just said, his vision was all blurred and all he could hear was a bunch of noises. His head was messed up really bad from his weak state.

"Please, open your mouth, Aerrow." - the girl kept trying to make the red-haired guy come back to his senses and listen to her, but she wasn't successful.

She sighed in defeat, until an idea occurred to her: she pressed his nostrils together with one hand, forcing him to open his mouth to be able to breath, then she quickly released his nose as she put the spoon inside his mouth and didn't pull it out until she was sure he swallowed all the medicine. Once it was over, she sighed in relief, since she knew he'd get better, while he just closed his eyes and started sleeping peacefully.

Radarr watched worried. He wanted to take care of his buddy. The girl noticed the creature's behavior, then grabbed a greenish blue crystal and handed it to him.

"Here, use this to help his fever go down." - she told him while he stared at the crystal with a weird expression - "This is a frostwind crystal, I made it myself after fusing a windstone crystal with a frost crystal." - she said proudly and the animal chirped happily. She was really good at that crystal stuff!

The girl stood up and left, while Radarr sat beside Aerrow and started blowing a soft cold breeze on his forehead, to cool him down a bit.

* * *

 

"So Aerrow is sick." - Cyclonis said.

"Yes, master. One of my soldiers just reported, saying he was in bed with a fever while being watched by the girl." - the Night Crawler in her throne room told her.

"What a great surprise." - she smirked to herself - "Now it's time for me to make them a surprise of my own as well." - she looked at her loyal soldier - "Take a small squadron there just to scare them a little bit, but don't get any of them killed just yet."

"Will do, master." - the dark soldier bowed and left her room.

"Now the fun begins." - the girl giggled evilly.

* * *

 

A few hours later, Piper entered the infirmary. Radarr had just collapsed on Aerrow, he was really tired. The girl sighed in sympathy, she felt sorry for the poor creature, he had a rough day watching and taking care of Aerrow.

"Radarr?" - she called him, and he lifted his head sleepy - "Do you want to rest? I can take care of Aerrow right now."

The animal smiled weakly, he was so sleepy! He chirped in agreement and left, slowly making his way to Aerrow's room. The navigator watched him go, then sat on the chair beside Aerrow's gurney, staring at her leader. She reached out for his forehead, to see if the fever had gone down: it did. Phew! What a relief! He was getting better after all! Aerrow slightly opened his eyes. His vision was still blurred, but he could see Piper's face staring down at him with a relieved expression.

"How are you feeling? Can you understand me now?" - she asked.

"Ugh... I feel like I've been beaten up by those golems from the Forbidden City." - he said about his sore body. Why was he feeling that bad? He tried to sit, but he winced in pain, so Piper made him lay down again.

"Try not to move. You're weak right now." - she told him - "Stay there, I'll go get some juice to make you feel refreshed."

She stood up and left, his eyes following her every move. Even in that state, with such a messed up head, he still could pay a lot of attention to her... It was almost... Involuntary... Something being done by his subconscious. It was as natural as an everyday skill.

Not too long later she brought him a glass of delicious orange juice. Ah, that was just perfect! Even though he was sick, it wasn't something entirely bad, since Piper got to take care of him and he actually enjoyed that... To the point he felt bad for being selfish... But who could blame him? She was just the best nurse ever!

His perfect world suddenly was shaken by tremors on the Condor. Loud explosions could be heard coming from outside: they were being attacked again.

"The Night Crawlers have found us!" - Finn came running from the bridge, warning the two.

"How?! I thought this place was so good to hide from the Cyclonians!" - Piper said - "It was too good to be truth..." - she commented on the fact that the place was nice and safe, or so she had thought.

"I know, right?" - the blonde replied.

The girl looked at her sick leader sadly. She was worried. She didn't want to leave him alone in those conditions.

"Go. I'll be fine, don't worry about me. You have to guarantee we'll all get out of here unharmed." - the green-eyed guy told her.

She nodded briefly and left with Finn. Both ran to the bridge. The sharpshooter quickly made it to one of the ship's blasters, while his best friend was mounted on the other and was already shooting at their enemies. Piper grabbed a map and started giving directions to Stork, so they could escape.

"Here, turn right around that tree, then go left after that large tree." - she told the pilot.

Stork followed her lead, getting rid of quite a few Night Crawlers, but two still pursued them. Once Finn successfully shot one of them, Piper warned them.

"Stop shooting now, so they can't follow our projectiles." - she told him - "Stork, enter that deep passage between those trees." - she pointed to a large corridor with trees on both sides covering whatever was or got inside it.

The merb turned the ship really fast and smoothly to enter the passage. It was very dark inside, the sunlight could barely pierce the dense treetops. Suddenly, they heard a weird noise. Stork ran a scanner on the Condor to see what was going on.

"There's something attached to one of the boosters." - he pointed to a red dot blinking where the left booster should be located in the scan.

"I'll go check it out." - the girl said and ran to the hangar.

Piper took off with her Heliscooter and flew by the left booster. There she saw a weird device with a crystal attached to the ship. The crystal started flashing in a higher frequency than before. Whatever did that mean, it wasn't a good thing. She tried to figure out a way to remove the device, and she had an idea.

She picked up a floater and placed it on her staff, then she shot a burst of energy at the device. It had worked, the device lost its grip on the ship and was dragged behind by the wind. However, the energy blast had powered the device up, the crystal flashed even faster now: it was about to explode!

The navigator sped up her ride as fast as she could, but both her and the Condor still got caught by the huge blast. The ship shook as its back was pushed upwards by the strong wind. The girl's Heliscooter was brutally pushed forward, spinning in the air several times until it hit the Condor's right booster very hard, damaging both the ship and the ride.

But that wasn't even as bad as what was about to happen. Two Night Crawlers had followed the Condor inside that passage and started shooting at Piper. The girl, which was injured from the collision with the ship, dodged the shots while wincing in pain: she probably broke a rib or another with that impact. She noticed the ship was starting to lose altitude, so she tried to take cover beside it and below the right damaged booster, this way it'd be harder for the Night Crawlers to shoot at her again.

Her plan didn't work for too long, though. One of the dark soldiers sped up and flew above the Condor's booster, then landed on it and from there he jumped on her Heliscooter, pushing her against her seat while pointing his gun at her. She cried in pain when her back hit the seat and struggled to break free from the purple-eyed enemy who tried to strangle her, but her broken rib wasn't helping. She felt her lungs screaming for air, but there was nothing she could do... She was going to suffocate, then she was going to be kidnapped or even killed right there... Or so she thought.

In the blink of an eye, Aerrow broke through one of the Condor's windows, completely dressed in his armor and with his swords in hand. He fell, aiming for the Night Crawler strangling Piper. Once he got near them, he kicked the dark soldier off the Heliscooter, but the guy's grip on the girl was so strong he dragged her along with him. The Sky Knight threw himself towards the two again and grabbed the Night Crawler from behind, trying to pull him off her.

The three kept falling faster and faster. Aerrow had to end that quickly, or it was going to be too late. He activated his blade and placed it on the dark soldier's neck, but it didn't really seem to bother him, so the red-haired guy attacked him anyways. He sliced his neck, but no blood came out! Great, that guy had armor on his neck... That left Aerrow no other choice: he aimed his sword at the soldier's face and blasted him with one of his attacks. Luckily, the blast wasn't too strong and Piper wasn't caught by it.

Now free, the girl could finally breathe. When she stared upwards to see what was going on, she saw Aerrow fighting the Night Crawler with all his might. She blushed: even sick and weak like that, he had jumped in front of the fire to protect her. He was truly her knight in shining armor... She then remembered she had an icer with her. She grabbed the crystal and aimed towards the dark soldier.

"Aerrow!" - she shouted his name, warning him.

He suddenly pushed himself away from the Night Crawler using his feet, then the girl shot the soldier with a charged ice bolt. The enemy guy was completely frozen, then the Sky Knight took the chance to perform his Lightning Claw attack: the blast was so strong it made the frozen soldier shatter in millions of pieces. Even though they had just killed someone, they didn't feel that shocked: after all, that guy had tried to kill Piper in cold blood!

A few milliseconds later, they noticed they were still falling to their death, so Aerrow threw his weight downwards, to get to Piper as fast as he could. He reached both his arms out for her and wrapped them behind her back, then opened his glider. The girl sighed in relief and looked up smiling at her leader, while he stared forward with a determined expression, but she winced in pain again, making Aerrow blink and look at her.

"Are you okay?" - he asked - "How bad is the injury?" - he frowned in worry.

"I think I just broke a rib, but we better get to the Condor to check it out, just in case." - she replied.

However, that wasn't going to happen so easily. The other Night Crawler caught up with them and started shooting. Aerrow dodged all the shots smoothly, but he noticed the sudden movements were causing a lot of pain to Piper. The Sky Knight tried to shoot some bolts with his sword, but it was hard to aim while at the same time he had to control his glider and hold the navigator, and on top of all that, he was really sick and still very weak, but he did his best to prevent that from showing up.

The red-haired guy stared at the girl and she nodded, noticing he had an idea: he let Piper go, so he could face the Night Crawler. He quickly charged at the soldier, crashing on him with both his fists punching the evil soldier's face very hard. That stunned the enemy purple eyed guy, giving an opening for the Sky Knight to attack him. He swung his sword a few times, unleashing several energy waves that cut the air while they traveled to the Night Crawler. When they hit him, his armor was severely damaged, and he could no longer fly or use any weapon, so he just plummeted from the sky.

Aerrow flew after Piper, catching her in bridal style just before she was about to collide with a treetop. That would surely hurt. She stared at him with a scared look at first: for a second she thought he wasn't going to make it before she fell to her death. Then she realized: what a silly thought! Was there ever a doubt about him? He was Aerrow after all. Out of an impulse, she hugged him and gave him a peck on the cheek. She was just so glad to be alive she didn't even bother with the sudden way she thanked him.

But that didn't go so well for the Sky Knight: he was caught completely off guard by that. While he enjoyed it, it also made him lose his focus, and they almost crashed on a tree, hadn't he woken up from his daydream in the nick of time to dodge it.

"Sorry..." - he smiled sheepishly, then looked away from her. She just giggled.

"Let's go back to the Condor." - she said.

He flew them to the hangar, and both landed safely. The rest of the squadron, except for Stork who was piloting the ship, waited for them there.

"Are you two alright?" - Junko asked.

"Piper is injured, we need to go to the infirmary and check on her." - Aerrow told them.

The wallop offered to carry her there, so she'd not make way too much effort and wouldn't risk making the injuries worse (who knows how bad was the injury). While the two went ahead to the infirmary, Finn and Radarr stayed behind with Aerrow.

"What about you? You okay?" - the sharpshooter asked after seeing his leader so pale.

"Yeah... But... I think... I should... Sleep..." - the Sky Knight said, while he saw his vision spin: he was about to faint again when he felt the blonde hold his shoulder, so he'd not fall.

"Let's get you to the infirmary too and fast." - the blue-eyed guy spoke.

The red-haired Storm Hawk regained his consciousness and walked to the infirmary, being supported by Finn and Radarr.

The Condor kept falling slowly, since it still had one booster working.

"Junko, can you help out in the engine room?" - Stork called through the ship's communicator.

"On it!" - the wallop replied to him after leaving Piper on a gurney.

The merb tried to keep the altitude for as long as he could, but they had to repair the ship. They'd have to go for an emergency landing. Junko got to the engine room and started fixing the pipes that had steam leaking from them and the machines that suffered a short circuit and were letting out some sparks and smoke. The Condor glided smoothly through the forest, until the pilot saw a small river and prepared to land the ship near it. After successfully landing, he sighed in relief and proceed to the hangar to fly on his Storkmobile and fix the damaged booster.

* * *

 

"So we lost two elite soldiers, because they were too greedy and tried to kill a Storm Hawk?" - Cyclonis said with a harsh voice after listening to a report from one of the Night Crawlers that had stayed behind instead of following them.

He lowered his head to that rhetorical question. He somehow just felt she was going to yell at him and the squadron for not stopping the reckless soldiers.

"What part of the 'don't get any of them killed just yet' didn't they understand?" - she grumbled, and to the Night Crawler's surprise, she said that with a much calmer tone than he had expected - "Well, at least their ship is damaged, they're going to have to repair it. And they also have two injured members to take care of."

"That would be the perfect opportunity to an attack." - the soldier said, but his idea was cut short by what Cyclonis said after.

"No, not at all. Do you know what that Sky Knight did even though he was in bed just a few minutes earlier?" - she asked him, then showed a hologram footage she had received from the Night Crawlers that had gone after Piper.

After seeing both his comrades being killed by a sick and weak Aerrow, the dark soldier's eyes opened wide.

"How? That's just not possible!" - he couldn't believe that.

"See? He's more powerful than ever! The elixir already brought out the best of his abilities!" - she explained to him - "Now, we'll have to wait for the rest of its action to become fully effective. The outcome will be simply spectacular." - the Empress smirked.

"I see, master. I'll have my squadron watch them and I'll report once we have any news." - he bowed and left the room.

She looked at him go briefly, then stared again at the hologram showing Aerrow killing the two Night Crawlers.

"He'll be just formidable when executing my plan." - she commented.

* * *

 

A while later, Aerrow was resting in the infirmary while Piper was being checked on. He watched unnoticed as the others used Stork's x-ray binoculars to see what was going on inside her body. They saw she had fractured her rib, but it wasn't a simple injury: the rib was actually broken off the rib cage completely, she was really lucky it didn't pierce any vital organ.

The girl grabbed three crystals: a levitation crystal, a paralyzer crystal and an enhancer crystal. Wincing and even sweating a bit in pain, she used the levitation crystal to move the bone back to its place, then she enhanced the power of the paralyzer crystal and stuck her rib and her rib cage together by a paralysis that, thanks to the enhancer crystal, would last long enough for her rib to attach back to its place.

The Sky Knight was impressed. Woah... She was so smart! He'd never have thought of that! Speaking of Piper... His mind now wondered why and how did he do what he had done that day. Earlier he was feeling so sick and so weak... A bit later he had a gut feeling and somehow guessed Piper was in danger. Then, all of a sudden, he regained lots of strength and energy, and before his realization could sink in, he was already running towards the window, dressed in his armor with his swords in hands.

He simply couldn't understand how did he know all that... He then noticed he was staring at Piper all the time, even though his mind wasn't precisely on her only, it was thinking about the situation, his body and his subconscious were completely focused on the Piper right there, beside him. She looked to the side and flashed him a soft smile, then she stared at the ceiling and started to sleep.

Seeing her resting peacefully made him feel warm inside. He remembered that peck on the cheek she had given him. Then he started analyzing everything he had experienced lately that had to do with her. The way he was becoming more and more protective towards her, the fact that he had been hallucinating with her all the time and that his illusions seemed to actually be... Desires. Was he in the Great Expanse under the spell of a Sky Siren all this time and he hadn't noticed? No... All this felt different. It wasn't the same thing he experienced in that place at all.

Then what was it? What was wrong with him? If he could say that. Now that he thought more about it, maybe there wasn't anything wrong with him. Perhaps he was just confused by that, because he couldn't really grasp what was going on, but now he felt like he was getting to a conclusion. Maybe he was... No... No... That... Couldn't be... Could it?

He quickly stared at her for a moment and his heartbeat accelerated exponentially. It was then that he finally realized and came to accept that conclusion. Yeah, that's right. Face it, Aerrow: you are in love. And it wasn't just any crush, he was actually madly in love. So much for the new discovery... Now he had to figure out what he was going to do about it. Still... For the first time, admitting something like that to himself felt truly wonderful. If only... He could just dream about it, but... If only she felt the same way about him... He would certainly be in heaven.


	11. Hottest Night of the Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nudity and mild smut in this chapter.

**Chapter XI**

**Hottest Night of the Year**

The day after the Night Crawlers attacked, Aerrow was completely cured. All he needed was to rest and truly sleep for one night, and that he had finally managed to do after so many perturbed nights. Piper's injury was already being treated too. Stork was going to make a potion she'd to drink every afternoon. In one week she'd be healed as well.

Finn and Junko were doing some reckon and they had a mission: map the place where the Condor was landed and the surrounding area. They weren't on just a part of the Terra they hadn't explored themselves, they were actually on an uncharted section, so nobody had the slightest idea about how safe that area could be. But they were sure of one thing: if the Night Crawlers didn't initially follow them, then there could be something more dangerous than the elite squadron in there. So they had to know what they might be dealing with. Better safe than sorry, right?

Sometime later, both returned from the recon mission.

"So far there's nothing out of the ordinary." - Finn said shrugging, while he got off his skimmer.

"I guess that's good." - Aerrow commented.

" _Yeah. The last thing we need is another Cyclonian attack._ " - Piper said through one of the Condor's radios.

They heard her wince in pain when she laid back down on the gurney. All of them had worried expressions. Poor Piper... She was suffering a lot.

"I hope Stork's potion will really work fast." - Junko said.

Radarr chirped sadly in agreement. They all knew how bad was the injury. If her broken rib had pierced one of her organs she'd have died from blood loss... They'd have to hope the crystal spell she cast on her rib could hold the bone and the rib cage together until she fully recovers. Otherwise, things would become pretty grim for her...

"I wish there was a way to accelerate the recovering process." - Aerrow said.

"Yeah... If we still had the Nil Crystal..." - the wallop muttered.

"Cyclonis probably kept it with her since she got it from us." - Finn told them.

They all sighed. The Sky Knight stared at the sky, a look of longing in his face. His desire to heal Piper was truly strong. He'd go to the depths of Cyclonia to get her a Nil Crystal if he could. But he thought about it and realized that could lead their enemies to their location. He couldn't afford seeing her getting hurt again... He just couldn't. She had suffered enough.

His friends went inside the ship. The wallop headed directly to the engine room, he knew Stork needed his help there. Aerrow looked around the surroundings, then he heard a noise: Terra Amazonia was about to pour down one of its known torrential rains. The water droplets came fast and in a very large number. That was quite the storm, they were lucky that rain had a short duration, or it could potentially drown the ship after making the water level of the river rise too much.

The red-haired leader noticed something had... "appeared", after the rain started: a green stream of light that led somewhere. He didn't know why, but his mind was telling him to follow it. He quickly jumped on his skimmer and left without making a sound, so the others wouldn't notice and, therefore, wouldn't worry about him.

* * *

 

After a few minutes flying Aerrow found a huge cave and, without hesitating, he followed the green stream inside it. Deep in the cave, he saw several small green crystals on the walls, illuminating the dark place.

"Nil Crystals!" - he gasped in awe - "And lots of them!"

He couldn't believe he had actually found exactly what he was determined to fight against the whole Cyclonia for: the little green crystal that could fix anything! In other words, Piper's cure! He excitedly grabbed two of them and shoved them in his pocket. It was always good to have an extra one, just in case. And later he could show them the cave if they ever needed more crystals.

He was making his way out when he heard a weird noise echoing through the cave. Then he heard some heavy steps: there was a really big creature in that cave. He turned around to see a golem very similar to the ones from the Forbidden City, except that this one was huge and had green shining eyes. The Stone Guard stared at him for a moment: it was obviously not happy that Aerrow had invaded its sanctuary and was stealing its crystals.

One of the large boulders that formed the creature's hand detached from its arm, then, it swung it around, very similar to the way Snipe swings his mace, and aimed at the Sky Knight. The red-haired leader accelerated his skimmer to the max, so he could quickly dodge that attack that would certainly have killed him.

"I-I'm sorry I entered here!" - he shouted, trying to reason with the golem - "But I have a badly injured friend that needed to be healed by these crystals!" - he tried to explain - "Really, I'm not being greedy, I'm taking these crystals because I truly need them!"

But that didn't seem to convince the stone guard that Aerrow shouldn't be punished for his actions. He invaded and stole, making excuses didn't change a thing. The creature growled in anger, then levitated a large rock and, turning it into several smaller stones, it threw all of the fragments as fast as a machine gun shoots its bullets. The pieces of the rock tore through the walls, damaging them severely. Aerrow had a hard time trying to dodge them. If one caught him, he'd be dead.

The golem was furious now, it detached all of the rocks from its body and spun them around like a tornado... A huge rocky tornado of doom, like Stork would name it. Now formed by a mess of boulders and wind, the creature could move extremely fast. The Sky Knight was in trouble: the tornado of death was catching up with him quickly.

The rocky tornado threw one of its large boulders at him. He managed to fly downwards just in time to avoid it. The huge stone hit the ceiling of the cave's entrance then made it way back to the tornado, obliging the green-eyed boy to dodge once again. He noticed the impact with the cave was going to make the entrance's arc to topple.

Aware that his only escape was about to be sealed and he'd be stuck with that enraged titan, he accelerated his skimmer as fast as he could. The boulders were starting to fall and block the passage. Almost there... He forced his ride to fly even faster than its maximum speed and managed to fly out of the cave just before the last boulder fell and closed the entrance.

He looked behind to see if the golem was going to bust the entrance open and follow him, but that didn't happen. All he heard was a disappointed growl and the sound of a huge rocky fist punching the wall. Well, at least the stone guard had sealed the entrance, so no one else would invade its sanctuary again.

Aerrow felt somewhat sorry for disturbing the giant titan. Still, the golem could have been more reasonable. He just sighed relieved and picked up the Nil Crystals in his pocket, staring happily at them. Piper would be healed sooner than she thinks!

* * *

 

Inside the Condor, everyone was in the infirmary. They noticed Aerrow was gone for a while, but they couldn't go after him because the storm was too strong.

"Any sign of him?" - Piper asked.

"No. I don't see anything that looks like a skimmer." - Finn said with an upset tone.

Stork had just finished making one more dose of the potion.

"Here. Today's dose." - he gave her the bottle and a glass.

"Thank you, Stork." - she said and drank everything.

It didn't taste good... Well, was medicine supposed to taste good anyway?

"Yeah, I know, the taste is awful." - the merb said calmly - "But at least it'll make you recover quickly."

The girl smiled. He was right.

"I found something that will heal her even faster, though." - a voice said.

They all looked at the direction the voice came from and saw Aerrow entering the infirmary. Water was dripping from his hair and many droplets ran down his face. He was completely soaked, but the expression on his face showed it was worth it.

"Aerrow! What happened? Where were you?" - she asked.

"I just went for a quick ride and happened to find..." - he said as he pulled the small green crystal from his pocket - "...a little crystal that can fix anything."

"A Nil Crystal!" - Junko gasped excitedly.

"Where did you find it?" - the girl asked as the Sky Knight handed her the crystal.

"In a cave not too far from here. There were many of them. I took two with me." - he told them as he placed the other crystal on the furniture beside her gurney.

"Sweet! Let's go get some more!" - Finn suggested.

"Uh... I don't think it's a good idea..." - Aerrow rubbed the back of his head.

"Why not?" - the wallop didn't understand.

"Well... The huge golem watching the cave will not like to see any other intruder..." - he said.

"Wait... You found a Stone Guard?" - Stork was surprised.

"But... They were supposed to be extinct!" - Piper said.

Then, they thought about it some more and figured: if the dragons weren't extinct... Maybe other ancient creatures weren't either.

"Guess I'll believe anything from now on..." - the merb shrugged and left.

Piper sit on the gurney, moaning in pain a bit, then touched her belly with the Nil Crystal, activating it. She sighed in relief and pleasure: having her injury healed felt so good.

"Well, I'll go get some ice cream while you patch yourself up." - Finn said and walked to the door, but then he slipped and fell flat on his back, making the others in the room cringe then look at him to see if he was alright - "Oh, man! The floor is all wet!" - he said as he saw all wet trail Aerrow had left.

"Sorry, Finn." - the Sky Knight apologized - "I'll clean it up." - he got out of the infirmary to get a mop, then got back and started drying the floor.

The blonde sharpshooter went to the kitchen and Junko and Radarr decided to go there too for some ice cream. The day was really hot, they needed to feel refreshed. Aerrow kept drying the floor, while Piper watched him. A soft smile graced her face, she was really glad her leader had looked out for her and searched for the crystals. She figured he didn't just "happen" to find them, that was way too convenient to be the truth. Besides, it was unlikely that Aerrow would enter a cave like that and face a giant golem by "accident". The fact that he always did something very thoughtful of her made her day much better.

"How are you feeling?" - the red-haired guy asked.

"Fully recovered. And the pain is gone!" - she smiled at him - "Thank you for bringing the Nil Crystal to me."

He beamed while looking at the floor. Then he stared at her.

"I'd do anything for you, Piper." - he said with the softest voice and his stare was the most tender one could imagine.

The girl blushed. She... Didn't expect that. Aerrow hadn't noticed the way he had acted until he saw her look at him surprised. He blinked in realization and quickly changed his attitude completely.

"Uh... I mean, ah... You're my best friend. I really care about you. Why wouldn't I do that?" - he explained nervously.

Amazing job on making a fool of yourself, Aerrow! You should consider going for a career in the circus, because you're such a clown!

"Oh, look, I still have to dry the corridor's floor." - he tried not to sound awkward, but he was failing really hard - "S-See you later!" - he stepped out of the room as fast as he could and desperately closed the door behind him.

Piper blinked with a confused expression. That was odd. But she could no longer contain her giggles. Oh, Aerrow could be so clumsy sometimes! It was quite funny!

Outside, the Sky Knight hit his head on the wall. What was wrong with him?! How could he just allow his body to do that? His mouth simply let all those words slip, his voice couldn't help itself but to sound completely out of character and his eyes were uncontrollable! What was going on?! Maybe he should run away from his feelings while he still could. But it was much harder than he thought. He couldn't just throw away his attachment to the person that meant the world to him. Sigh... He'd have to figure that out later, he had more important things to do.

" _Guys..._ " - his voice came out of the Condor's loudspeakers - " _Come to the bridge. We need to discuss our safety plans._ "

* * *

 

"What's our status?" - Aerrow asked.

"Our booster is still damaged and we'll need to replace a few parts." - Stork told him.

"The engine room is intact, though." - Junko added.

"Hm... What about camouflage? Is there any way we can hide?" - the leader asked.

"Our chroma crystals are over and our only cloaking crystal is dead, because someone wouldn't stop playing with it." - she glared at Finn.

"Hey! I wasn't playing with it!" - he tried to defend himself - "I've been using it to get rid of that disgusting mole on the back of my neck."

The girl just stared at him in disbelief. He didn't grow up yet!

"Hm... You do realize you could _really_ get rid of the mole using some medicine just for it, don't you?" - Stork said, but he obviously knew Finn didn't have a clue about that.

The blonde boy smiled sheepishly. Why didn't he think of that?

"So... What's the plan?" - Junko changed the subject.

"Well... Since we have no idea about what else could be in this place, we'll have to stay awake at night to watch over the Condor. We'll take shifts, of course, but for now, we can't afford being caught off guard." - Aerrow told them.

Radarr jumped up drawing attention to himself, then saluted: he was volunteering to be the first one watching. They all nodded in agreement. Each one went to their own rooms and Aerrow went to the bathroom to take a shower and change his still wet clothes for some dry ones.

* * *

 

Some hours later, Radarr sat on the balcony's rail. He watched the stars sparkling in the dark sky. He thought they should definitely spend more time in that Terra. That place had so many wonders, it never ceased to amaze the little animal.

"The sky is certainly beautiful tonight." - Aerrow appeared and rested his arms beside his co-pilot.

The little creature chirped in agreement. He looked at his best friend with a worried expression. He had sensed something weird was going on with him. He really wanted to be able to speak, so he could ask what was wrong. He tried to communicate with Aerrow by whimpering sadly, but of course the red-haired guy didn't talk about that... It was obviously something personal, since he didn't share it even with his best buddy.

"I'm okay, Radarr." - he assured him - "You should sleep now. The turns can't last too many hours, or we'll end up trading the day for the night."

The animal lowered his ears and nodded. He was a bit upset that his Sky Knight didn't open up to him, but he comprehended. Still, that didn't mean it didn't hurt... Aerrow watched the poor little guy go and felt just as upset. He wished it was so easy for him to just speak up the truth...

The young leader stared back at the sky. What was he supposed to do? Should he tell her right away? What if she doesn't think of him the same way? How would that affect their friendship? If that ends up making her become distant, he'd not be able to bear with it. It'd hurt way too badly... What should he do?! Sigh... He was learning what it means to be lovesick for the very first time. What an awful sensation!

He rubbed his bare hand on his forehead, wiping the sweat from his skin. Ugh... That night was so hot... Even in his summer pajamas he was sweating a lot... He removed his shirt and threw it inside the bridge, right on top of his seat on the roundtable. Not even that managed to cool him down. The soft breeze was way too hot, it wasn't helping at all. If just the rain started pouring again... Just as he thought about it, his wish was granted: Terra Amazonia's famous torrential rain dropped from the sky.

Ah... Much better... He lifted his head with his eyes closed and enjoyed every single raindrop that touched his face. His exposed chest was thanking the cold water droplets that ran over it. His wild hair was tamed by the water, but that never bothered him. Such a simple moment like this was so perfect... He couldn't ask for anything else right now.

Still, even without asking, he received a little gift. He heard a noise: someone was there in the forest. He managed to briefly see something that identified who the person was: midnight blue hair...

"Piper?" - he muttered to himself.

He saw where she was going by looking at the vegetation moving in an odd manner. He jumped from the balcony down on the hangar, then leaped to the ground as quietly as he could. He followed her under the heavy rain. She shouldn't be out there, she just healed from a bad injury, she might still be a bit weakened, she could catch a cold or something.

"Piper, where are you going?" - whispered loud enough for her to hear, trying not to draw attention of any potential enemy that could be there.

But she either didn't manage to listen, or she simply ignored him. He couldn't tell. He kept going after her, until she disappeared. He was confused. Oh... That must be another one of his hallucinations. Or so he thought, until he heard a noise and saw her again.

She was standing, her face looking at the sky, her eyes closed. The rain made her usually spiky hair become tame and shiny. He had never seen her hair that way, it was really pretty. The clouds opened a little bit of room for the moon to shine and then he could properly see her.

He was taking in the most beautiful view he had ever seen. He paid close attention to every single detail in her body, as if he were recording it in his memories forever. The raindrops running all over her fine curves as she spun around slowly and gracefully, enjoying the rain as much as she could. Her feminine arms and delicate hands flying around her. Her enchanting legs and charming feet being kissed by the soft breeze. Her beautiful face shining under the moonlight. Her thin waist, her perfectly sculpted breasts and buttocks. Her bare vu... Wait, what?!

After quite some minutes staring at her it finally sank in: she was naked! She was right there, in front of him, taking a shower under the torrential rain and completely nude! He blinked three times: she didn't disappear. He knew he was blushing a lot now. What was happening?! Why couldn't he stop staring at her?! This was so... So wrong... What was he doing?!

The rain suddenly stopped, after all, this was just one more of those quick storms, typical from Terra Amazonia. Piper turned her face to him and looked at him straight in the eyes. She didn't seem surprised at all, neither she felt this was awkward.

"Oh, hi, Aerrow." - she said softly, not bothered by the fact that she was completely exposed in front of him - "Tonight is so hot..." - she played a bit with her soaking hair - "I was thinking about taking a bath in the river. Do you want to join me?"

Her voice and her gestures were so... Welcoming... No... No, no, no... That wasn't right.

"P-Piper... What are you doing?!" - he demanded.

That was wrong, really wrong! It was... Way too fast! She just looked at him with a blank expression, then she shrugged.

"Well, if you're not coming, you should put your clothes back on." - she said as she entered the river.

Huh? What did she mean? He was already dress- He looked down at himself and gasped: his clothes were gone! He quickly put his hands in front of himself, while blushing even more than before. Oh, man! What was going on?! His second self was simply enjoying everything, huh?! Stupid second brain! Now what was he going to do? He heard a noise in the forest. Darn it! What if someone else appeared out of nowhere?!

He ran to the river and dived in the water. It was so dark underwater, he couldn't see anything! He kept swimming, his eyes closed. He suddenly bumped into something. He blinked startled and surfaced to breathe. Then he found out he had bumped into Piper's belly.

"Glad you decided to join me." - she said with a mischievous tone.

She swam closer to him, one of her hands touching his bare chest, the other one playing with his hair. He became more and more nervous.

"Piper, please..." - he tried to stop her while he still had control of his actions.

"What's the matter, Sky Knight?" - she asked - "Afraid of a little bit of physical contact?"

At that, she hugged his neck and moved herself even closer to him. Her smooth belly was stroking his muscular abdomen, her soft breasts were brushing against his strong thorax. Even his second self was graced by the contact with the delicate skin of her mound of Venus. He couldn't move he was completely paralyzed, his hormones flowing through his veins like they never did before.

"Piper... Don't..." - he was trying his best to resist, but it was really hard.

She just giggled, shaking her head. Oh, she wasn't going to leave him alone... She placed both hands on his cheeks and pulled him into a kiss. She was seducing him, so he'd do what he had always wanted: to claim Piper for him alone. No... That was wrong... Piper is not a thing, she's not a possession!

The navigator's illusion vanished as a whisper told Aerrow to surrender himself. No! He couldn't let the temptation win. But it was all so inviting... No, don't do that. Why not? There really isn't anything bad that could come out of it, is there? Don't even dare to do that! Ah! Those feelings... They were messing with him. And that was driving him crazy!

He laid down, floating on the water. He had never known that love and lust were so linked like that. He had to deal with it right now! And just as he thought about that, a huge wave washed him away.

* * *

 

Aerrow's eyes shot wide open as he gasped. That all was just another hallucination. He looked around and noticed he was no longer in the balcony, then where was he? He scanned the few details from the dark room that could be seen thanks to the light coming from a thin gap that was left open in the door and quickly recognized where he was: Piper's room.

How did he get there?! He had no idea of what had happened in the real world during all this time he spent lost in his illusion! He heard the sound of a door opening in the end of the corridor. It was the navigator, she was coming out of a shower. Oh, no! What was he going to do?! He couldn't run out of the room, she'd see him! He searched for a place where he could hide. A wardrobe was all he could find that he'd fit inside.

He quickly entered it and closed the doors shut. Oh, man... He was violating her privacy... He felt awful... But was that really his fault? He heard the door of the bedroom open. The soft light revealed that Piper was wearing only a towel above her underwear. And she hadn't dried her hair. So far she looked almost exactly like the illusion he had of her.

Wait a second... He could clearly see now that her proportions were exactly the same! How could he picture her nude so accurately if he had never seen her naked before? Oh... No, no, no... That would have been way too wrong. It's not really as if his body walked to the bathroom door and watched as Piper bathed while he was hallucinating... The truth slapped him in the face very hard, shouting: you pervert! No! He was no pervert! He wasn't even aware of what was happening! He shook his head pushing those thoughts aside.

He noticed the light from outside the bedroom was gone. Only a little bit of moonlight was coming from the window. Piper was sound asleep. Now was his chance. He had to get out of there as fast and quietly as he could. Well, his plan didn't work. As soon as he stepped out of the wardrobe his body wouldn't let him walk out of the room. His legs started moving on their own. They made him turn around to watch the girl sleeping, then knelt beside the bed, so he could take a closer look at her face.

She was gorgeous... He sighed. It was so sad, she was so close, but at the same time, she was so far away. How could he possibly think she'd ever fancy him? He was just way out of her league... Not able to control his movements, he reached out one trembling arm and briefly stroke her face. That was a bad call...

At the very moment she was touched, Piper woke up startled. As she moved to sit, she almost screamed, hadn't Aerrow placed a hand over her mouth and whispered:

"Piper, it's me! Aerrow! Please, don't scream!"

She blinked as her vision adjusted and she managed to recognize him, then she sighed in relief. Man, he had scared her! Now she was curious about his unexpected visit in the middle of the night.

"What are you doing here? Is something wrong?" - she questioned him.

"Well..." - he started.

Oh, at last, he was going to tell her about his problems, he was going to open up! She immediately lit up a table lamp and invited him to sit on the bed beside her, so they could talk. He sat with his elbows resting on his knees.

"I've been having some weird feelings lately."

"Weird feelings? About what?" - she asked.

"It's... It's..." - he was trying to find a way to tell her, but his mind wouldn't let him find the best words for it.

His eyes would occasionally land on her exposed shoulder, because one of her bra's straps had slipped from it, and she hadn't noticed that. That was... Really... Tempting... Focus, Aerrow, focus...

"Tell me, Aerrow. What is it about?" - she was almost begging him to trust her.

"It's about... You." - he told her - "I-I don't know how to explain."

She was somewhat taken aback by that. Her leader had weird feelings about her. Did she do something to upset him? She was a bit worried.

"Is it something I did or said?" - she asked.

"Ah... I think so..." - he rubbed the back of his head.

It was much harder than he thought! She looked at him a bit nervous. She knew it! She had done something bad... Maybe it was the harsh way she had treated him lately. She regretted speaking that way to him. She should have been more reasonable, more comprehensive...

"I-If is there anything I can do to make up for that..." - she offered her apology.

And that just gave him the chance he had been waiting for. He quickly glanced at her whole body. That towel showing her voluptuous curves, that lascivious exposed shoulder, her sensual pose... She was so... Hot... He could no longer contain himself. If he couldn't find the words, he'd have to tell her another way.

He stared right into her eyes, his hair, wet from the rain, was falling in front of his eyes a bit, giving him an attractive look Piper couldn't ignore. She saw all the lust, all his desire for her. That was so overwhelming she froze. He took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her closer to him. She was blushing, her hands touched his bare chest as she was pulled. He didn't waste his time: he leaned in, trying to capture her lips in his, but she looked away, causing him to give her a peck on the cheek, instead. She didn't really think when she reacted, that was pure reflex. She was so scared, that all was so sudden!

He didn't give up, though. So, she was too shy? Well, he was going to make her step out of her protective bubble. He proceeded to kiss her neck as he brought her even closer to him. He loved her smell so much... She couldn't help but close her eyes. That was... Pleasing... He pinned her down on the bed gently and kissed her whole chest where her skin was exposed. He pulled her towel away and smooched all over her bare belly as well. He then faced her: she was blushing softly, but it was clear she was enjoying that.

He lowered his head and finally earned the osculation he longed for so much. That was the best sensation he had ever felt in his life. Their first kiss was very passionate and filled with lust, a long kiss in which their tongues danced with each other to the sound of heavenly music sang by the pure voices of the angels. Piper wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss even more as Aerrow bent his thorax backwards, so he'd sit on the bed, and brought her along, so he could stroke her smooth back. They were enjoying themselves, the moment couldn't have been more perfect... Or so they thought.

Out of an impulse, Aerrow tried to untie Piper's bra, and at that she snapped out of that lustful trance. No, that was too fast. Actually, they shouldn't be doing that at all, in the first place! She pulled away from him as she covered herself with her towel again, breaking the kiss and leaving him with a surprised and confused expression. What in the world...? Oh, no...

"Piper... I'm sorry... I-I..." - he tried to explain, but there wasn't really anything to say.

She just looked away from him. She was truly scared now.

"Aerrow..." - she said with a serious but still soft tone - "You better go..."

He blinked. His eyes showed he was really hurt by that. He just sadly nodded and left her room silently. No... Darn it! What had he done?! He had messed up really bad this time. He had ruined everything! He should write a book: a complete tutorial about how to turn a perfect moment into the doom of your love life in less than five seconds! Now there was nothing he could do... He felt so useless... He'd have to pray for her to forgive him... What had he done...


	12. Cloud 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Graphic description of gore in this chapter.

**Chapter XII**

**Cloud 9**

After the events from last night, Aerrow woke up in really bad shape. His eyes were red and sore, he had dark circles under them, his hair was messier than ever and he felt an awful headache. All that, not to mention the pain in his heart. He felt as if someone had stabbed him in the heart with a very sharp knife. It hurt a lot...

He knew he had made a big mistake when he rushed things, but he just couldn't control himself! He wanted her so badly, was it a sin? He got up from his bed and dressed his uniform, then left his room. As he walked in the corridor towards the bridge, he felt weary and tired, even though he had just rested. It was like his sadness was draining his life force.

Once he entered the bridge, he just sat by the roundtable and rested his head on his crossed arms that were on it. Finn immediately noticed him, so he approached the Sky Knight.

"Aerrow? You okay?" - he asked.

The leader just slowly lifted his head and stared at his sharpshooter silently.

"Dude, you look like trash. What happened?" - the blonde said.

"Thanks, Finn..." - the green-eyed guy said sarcastically about the first comment - "I don't want to talk about it. But it's nothing serious, don't worry."

Sure, it wasn't serious, sure...

"Eh... Okay, then." - Finn shrugged and walked away.

At that very moment, Piper walked in.

"Good morning, guys." - she said with a soft voice.

Aerrow looked at her and saw she wasn't nearly as bad as he was. In fact, she didn't even seem bothered by what had happened the night before. That sort of made him a bit... Frustrated. She was dealing with that so well while he was devastated! The world is so unfair...

He frowned. Why? He didn't deserve that, did he? He just lowered his head again, so he'd not have to watch her so calm and fine. Yet, even though his eyes could no longer see her, his ears could hear her, his nose could smell her and both of them kept telling him that she was doing great. He clenched one of his hands into a fist. That was so... Mean. Life was bullying him pretty hard.

He stood up and was ready to leave when he noticed Piper was alone in the kitchen, so he decided to go there.

"Piper, we need to talk." - he began.

"About what?" - she asked.

He blinked, then frowned. Now that was too much!

"What do you mean 'about what'? You know what I’m talking about!" - his voice sounded a bit harsh.

She lowered her head.

"Aerrow, I don't think this is the best time for that."

"Why not? Nobody is going to bother us right now. We have plenty of time to talk."

"Fine, then." - she said - "What were you going to say?"

"I want to know how you feel about what happened." - and upon receiving no answer, he insisted - "Well?"

"I don't know, Aerrow..." - she said as she looked away.

"What? But... You, you kissed me back!" - he said that almost like a whisper while he gestured to himself - "I thought..."

"I know... But it doesn't work that way." - she told him - "I'm not sure what to think of what happened yet." - she crossed her arms and held them with her hands - "I need some time alone to figure it out." - she walked away.

He just watched her go and sighed. Well, at least she was considering, that was something.

* * *

 

A whole week had passed. A week that felt like a year to Aerrow. Piper's distance was killing him. And his hallucination crisis were getting worse with every passing day. He saw Piper everywhere, he could hear her all the time, he felt her presence following him around, her smell never faded. He was going crazy!

And to add even more bad things, Piper was avoiding him! He just knew it! He had tried to be alone with her several times, and every single time she either made an excuse to leave, or she got away before he could even have her for a moment. He couldn't bear that. It was ripping his heart apart.

Why was she doing that to him? After all his devotion to her all those years... The countless times he had saved her life, cheered her up when she was sad, supported her decisions, complimented her in so many ways... Why, just why?

He had to put an end to that. He looked for her in the Condor and found her in the corridor. He sprinted after her and called her.

"Piper!" - he reached out one arm.

She turned around and looked at him.

"What is it, Aerrow?" - she asked with a low voice, and somehow she seemed to have guessed what he was going to say.

"I've waited for a week already. I need to know the answer!" - he sounded almost desperate.

"I still don't know. I-it's really hard to understand what I felt. I myself am confused." - she told him.

He could no longer hold his feelings back. He pinned her on the wall and stared deeply into her eyes.

"Piper, you have no idea of what I've been through this week. You don't know how much I've suffered, specially after seeing you dealing so well with that while I felt like nothing!"

The honesty in his words made her feel taken aback. But he was wrong about one thing.

"Do you think I've been great? I might have kept my feelings to myself, so nobody would ask me what was wrong with me, but I felt bad as well!" - she tried to break free, but he was way too strong - "Please, let me go."

He shook his head.

"You still didn't feel nearly as awful as I did. I've known you for long enough to be able to tell that. Put at least some effort into it, Piper. Please... Tell me!" - he pleaded.

She looked away.

"I'm not completely sure yet..."

"But you know something. So tell me." - he as growing impatient.

"I only know my very first impression, but that's not telling anything."

He snapped at that. He held her by her arms and shook her briefly, to force her to focus.

"I don't care! Just tell me anything, Piper!" - he shouted at her.

At that, she was so taken aback, her eyes began tearing up. She struggled a bit to move one of her arms and slapped him in the face, so he'd let her go.

"You want to know what I felt? I was scared! That's what I felt!" - she shouted back at him, but her voice was different, because she had started crying - "When you looked at me, I saw all that... Hunger, that lust. I-I had no idea you could feel those things so intensely! And to top all that, you rushed things so much. That was wrong! I'm not an object you can use to have fun, Aerrow!" - she then turned around and ran crying.

"Piper, wait!" - he called her, but she didn't even stare back at him.

He frowned. Now he had ruined things even more.

"I'm such an idiot!" - he hit his head on the wall a few times as he said that.

He felt really angry, but not at her. He felt mad at himself. He punched the wall with his right hand, and that hurt. He needed to get rid of his anger somehow... Ah! The sandbag! He ran to the hangar, then picked up a boxing sandbag and placed it on a hook on the ceiling. He began punching it with all his strength. He then punched faster. He kept doing that for hours.

Once he felt he was too hot because of so much exercise, he removed his shirt and continued punching the bag. A few minutes later he started sweating from the exercise, but he didn't want to go back inside the Condor, so instead, he decided to jump from the landing pad to the ground, then he dived into the river. He shivered when he got out of the water, because it was too cold for his heated body.

He climbed on the hangar once more and continued his punching session. 48 hours had passed since he had started to burn his anger on something else. He hadn't stopped to eat or to sleep. And every now and then he jumped into the river, then climbed back up in the hangar to cool himself down.

In the middle of the second night he spent awake, Piper had gone to the hangar to apologize for arguing with him earlier. She opened the door slightly and peered outside. The moonlight on his pale skin made him glow. His hair was falling on his face because the water made it heavier. The rough movements of his body while he punched the sandbag made some water droplets fly from his hair and sparkle under the moonlight.

She blushed. That scene felt so nostalgic... It was just as breathtaking as when he came back from the lake in Terra Aquanos after he had given her his breather years ago. But this time he looked even more attractive than before. His exposed chest, his piercing eyes... Her heart started beating faster. Well, she had been looking for a way to prove to herself that she had feelings for Aerrow as well... And she had just found it.

She clenched one of her hands in front of her heart while blushing even more and smiling softly. She opened the door completely and slowly walked into the hangar to tell him the great news he had been waiting for so much.

"Aerrow?" - she called him with the softest voice imaginable.

But things didn't go as she expected. Her voice startled him. And since he was in the middle of a punch, he suddenly swung in a different angle and ended up hitting his right hand on the ground with so much force that both could hear the bones of his knuckles breaking. He briefly yelled in pain, then held his wrist as he stared at the wound: his hand was bleeding a lot and the bones had pierced some of the skin, so they were a bit exposed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" - Piper was alarmed - "I'll go get a first aid kit!" - she sprinted to the hangar's door.

It was then that Aerrow realized: Piper had come to him and talked to him! He couldn't waste that once in a lifetime opportunity.

"No! Wait!" - he called her as he stood up and ran after her.

But the floor was quite wet because he had been coming back completely soaked from the river, so he slipped and slid all the way towards the door, until he finally stopped after he hit his face on the wall right beside the door's opening, breaking his nose in the process.

When Piper heard the loud thud from the impact of Aerrow's head with the wall, she immediately halted her steps and turned around to see what had happened.

"Aerrow!" - she put both of her hands in front of her mouth as she climbed down the stairs to help him.

He moaned as she made him sit on the ground with his back resting on the wall.

"It's okay." - he said as he coughed a bit - "I'm fine." - his voice was weak because he hadn't eaten anything for two days.

She gasped.

"You broke your nose too..." - she said after she saw the blood coming out from his nostrils - "Don't move, I'll be right back."

"Piper, don't..." - he grabbed her wrist and held it firmly and softly at the same time - "Please, stay."

She kneeled beside him and then sat on her heels. Her face was a frown. She didn't want Aerrow to get himself hurt like that.

"So... You came down here to talk..." - he began - "What were you going to say?"

"I... I've realized something..." -  she said as she looked away blushing - "I understand what your feelings are now... I was just scared, because it was all so sudden."

He grabbed her hand with his left one.

"So now you understand that I'm actually in love with you, not just attracted."

She nodded, still blushing.

"Yes. Because I noticed I also have feelings for you." - she shyly looked at him.

He smiled a lot at that, he even ignored the pain from his nose. The two stared at each other for a moment. No words needed to be said anymore. It was just obvious that they had silently agreed with the idea of being together.

He lifted both his hands and gently touched her face, taking care not to let his wounded hand stain her face or her hair with blood. He slowly brought her head closer as both closed their eyes. As their lips touched, both felt a sensation of bliss, until Aerrow winced in pain because of his nose, breaking the kiss.

"What a perfect time to be goofy and break my nose, huh?" - he said sarcastically, and Piper giggled at his dry humor.

"C'mon, let's get you patched up." - she told him as she helped him up - "You can kiss me later." - she gave him a peck on the cheek, making him smile.

"I just hope I won't have to pay with two more bruises for another kiss." - he had a smug grin and a sly look on his face.

She just shook her head while giggling. The two climbed up the stairs and closed the door that led to the hangar. Their giggles disappeared among the night breeze. They were so happy, specially Aerrow, who felt like his innermost dream had finally come true. They were together! He just couldn't contain his happiness. He'd cherish every single moment he'd have with her for all he was worth. He'd sleep so well that night, for he was floating on cloud 9...


	13. A Great Future

**Chapter XIII**

**A Great Future**

Weeks had passed since Aerrow and Piper agreed to be together. They had decided to keep it a secret from the rest of the crew, at least for a while, they didn't want to draw too much attention for them, neither did they want the team to think they'd be distracted by that, nor that the enemies could use that as a weakness.

Oh, and speaking of enemies, everything seemed to be really calm for quite some time. They even managed to fix the Condor without having to worry about the Cyclonians or the Night Crawlers attacking them. It was funny that they didn't find them, not even when they had to leave the Terra on their skimmers to collect material to fix their ship.

"Well, looks like they gave up." - Aerrow said to his navigator while he sat by her side in her room, near her desk.

"Yeah. I even have some great news I just received from Suzy Lu." - Piper told him.

"What's it?"

"The Absolute Zeroes managed to get their home Terra back!"

"Really? Wow, that's awesome." - he could barely believe they did it - "How did that happen?"

"It seems that when they arrived with their army, the outnumbered talons just ran away."

"Hm, not sure if I say it's normal or not. I mean, they are cowards indeed, but this?"

"Well, there's a first time for everything, I guess." - she shrugged - "Anyways, Suzy Lu is inviting us to their party over there, so I think this will be a nice opportunity for us to relax."

"Yeah, you're right. We could use some cold weather as well." - he pulled the collar of his shirt a bit, so he could feel a bit refreshed.

"Terra Amazonia is getting to you, huh?" - she giggled.

"This place is too hot!" - he told her - "And... It doesn't really help that every time I'm near you, I feel warmer." - he put his arm around her shoulders while smiling mischievously.

"Well, let's hope I'll make you feel warm enough when we get there. You'll surely need it." - she looked at him, mirroring his smile.

The two just stared at each other, their heads coming closer slowly as they closed their eyes. They could feel each other's warm breath touching their faces. That closeness felt so great... Until...

"Hey, you guys." - Junko made the automatic door open, startling the two, and fortunately, the back of Aerrow's head was all he saw, so he didn't notice they were inches away from each other - "Stork said we have to take off soon, because the Condor's engine has been dormant for too long, and it can be damaged from lack of use."

Aerrow and Piper shared a quick glance, then the first looked at the wallop smiling.

"Well, we just happen to have found a place we could go to."

"Really? Where?" - the flight engineer asked.

"We're going to visit Suzy Lu and the Absolute Zeroes in their home Terra." - Piper said.

Junko couldn't contain his smile. That was great news! And to add a bonus to that: SNOW! They were going to a snowy Terra!

"Awesome! I'll tell the others!" - he sprinted down the corridor until he reached the bridge.

They could hear him shouting happily about their new destiny, and Finn cheered. Guess the boys would be having a lot of fun. Piper giggled.

"They're like a little boy opening his Christmas gift." - she said amused.

"Yeah..." - Aerrow put a hand on his waist - "I'm glad they didn't change too much. The Condor would be way too quiet without them acting like that."

The girl nodded.

"Even though I'd really like some quietude, I don't mind having them around to disturb the peace sometimes." - she giggled - "Even you."

"Hey! I don't disturb your peace! ...Do I?"

"Don't play innocent, you know you do." - she said teasingly, making him rub the back of his head with his hand awkwardly - "Still, I don't think you disturbing me is a bad thing, though." - she placed her arms around his neck as she smiled at him - "I like it."

"Good, because I'll keep doing that more often." - he said as he put his hands around her waist and touched his forehead against hers.

She placed one of her hands on his face, stroking it gently.

"We better go to the bridge, they'll find it suspicious if they see we're still in my room." - she told him.

She stood up as he let her go, then he got up from his seat as well and followed her into the corridor.

* * *

 

Not too long later they arrived in Terra Blizzaris. The Absolute Zeroes were already waiting for them by the entrance to their city.

"Ah, I'm glad to see you guys came!" - Suzy Lu said as she hugged Piper - "C'mon, make yourselves at home!"

The Blizzarian led them inside the city. There were many ice buildings in there, they were even bigger than the buildings the Storm Hawks had seen in their "provisory" Terra years ago. That place was much prettier than they thought. Thankfully the Cyclonians didn't change things too much during the time they had the Terra under their flag.

"So you didn't have to fight?" - Piper asked her friend.

"Nope. The moment we arrived, they ran away faster than lightning." - she told them - "They didn't even leave anything behind. Guess that when they heard we were coming, they started packing up to go home."

"Wait, you mean you warned them about you coming to take the Terra back? Why didn't you use the opportunity for a sneak attack?" - Aerrow objected.

"Huh? Oh, no, no, no. We didn't warn anybody. One of their scouts probably spotted us, and since we were too close already for them to retaliate, they just gave up."

"I guess that makes sense..." - Piper said, but Aerrow only frowned.

Something wasn't right. If they didn't have enough time to prepare to fight back, why in the world would they have time to pack things up? Unless... They were already packing things up before the Blizzarians went there! But what for? What reason could they have to just leave a conquered Terra like that? Something was amiss... And that wasn't good. Aerrow just hated when his enemies were one step ahead of him. He had to figure out what was going on!

"Oh my... You found another blizzard crystal!" - the navigator squealed.

"Yeah. We have two now, actually. And we're going to give one as a prize, along with some food and a customized Ice Grinder!" - she gestured to a short stand with all the prizes side by side.

"Woah!" - Finn said in awe after staring at the Ice Grinder - "That rocks!"

Indeed. It was a metallic red Ice Grinder with vibrant cyan flames painted on the sides. The grinds and the seat were white, instead of the usual dark grey. And it was a brand new model, so it was faster and more maneuverable than the others.

"So, this is a prize. For what?" - Piper asked.

"Well, we're hosting a race in our snow course! We've invited our friends over to compete too. The first place can choose one prize among the three, then the second place can choose one of the two remaining prizes, while the third place will keep the last prize left."

"Ah, this is like the race from Terra Saharr!" - Junko realized.

"Yeah, only it's not an official race like that one. This is just friendly competition. And everyone can participate, not only the Sky Knights."

"Cool!" - Finn was excited - "Three of us just have to win this race! Well, it won't be so hard, we're five and we're skilled. Plus, Aerrow has won a race like that before, he can do that again."

"Uh, actually, I'm not going to race in this." - Stork said - "I'll just settle down inside the Condor, where it's warm. You come over when you want to leave." - he mumbled as he walked away.

"This all looks like it's fun to you guys, but I'm not really into racing either. I think it's kinda dangerous." - Piper shrugged uneasily, then she sighed softly - "Still, I really wanted to compete for that blizzard crystal."

"Hey, it's okay. I'll win it for you." - Aerrow said to her - "And since you don't want to race, you can ride with me through the course before the race starts, so you won't miss all the scenery." - he began walking towards the ice grinder he was going to use in the race.

She gasped happily as she followed him, but then she thought about one thing as both climbed on the vehicle.

"But... What about that Ice Grinder? I thought you'd want to have one." - she said as he turned the engine on and accelerated.

"Well, it looks cool and all, but I'd gladly choose the blizzard crystal over it." - he smiled at her as he drove through the snow track.

"Thank you." - she closed her eyes smiling as she rested her head on his back, her arms around him, closing in into a hug.

He blinked after feeling her embrace, then a soft smile spread on his face as he felt warm inside. She lifted her head, opening her eyes, so she could look around, which was the whole point of their little ride through the racing course.

The place was beautiful, the snow shone with the sunlight that passed near some clouds and got to hit the ground. They could see some snowflakes falling from the sky as they went up a mountain. When they reached the highest point of the mountain that was covered by the racing course, they stopped and got off the ice grinder to take a look at the view from there.

It was simply magnificent. Aerrow noticed it was even prettier than the view he had in that temporary terra. Piper was speechless as well. There were no words that could describe that. They just stood side by side, taking in everything. Until the red-haired guy broke the silence.

"You know, I remember when I was staring down at their village with the guys, years ago." - he began - "I was upset you weren't there with us. I was even going to argue with Billy Rex about that. But it was then that he told us that Sky Knights don't do that training." - he said - "Then I gave up on arguing, because, at least he had never meant to insult you. He just thought you were way too important to be there with us little people." - he nudged her, making her giggle, then he sat on the ground, with one leg stretched and the other bent, and one arm resting on his knee.

"Really?" - she giggled a bit more - "It means a lot that you defended me that way." - she began to sit down, but she quickly stood up again shivering.

"What's the matter?" - Aerrow asked.

"The snow! It's way too cold for me." - she told him.

"Oh, c'mon, it's not that bad." - he smiled mischievously, and she noticed what he had in mind.

"Don't you dare." - she warned him, but it was clear she had a playful tone in her voice.

He grabbed some snow in his hand, making a snowball, and began chasing her. And small snowball fight had just started. The two threw some snow at each other playfully. Piper managed to hit a snowball on Aerrow's head, making him shiver a bit. Now that was cold! He then caught her off guard, tackling her to the ground and making her lie down on her back, which made her shiver even more. Oh, that was even colder! Ah, but she'd not let that one slip! She got her revenge by pushing him to the side and making him lie on the snow this time! Brr! Cold! Cold! Cold! Now he felt it!

"Haha, you deserved this one!" - she laughed.

"Now you're in for some trouble!" - he said playfully and pushed her to the side the same way she did to him.

The two began their tackling little game, pushing each other on the snow, until they ended up rolling down a small hill then came to a stop. Once Aerrow realized he was the one on top, he spun around, bringing Piper along, so he'd be the one lying on the snow, while she'd rest on top of him. The girl blinked at that.

"Why did you do that?" - she asked him.

"So you won't feel so cold. I know the snow is bothering you more than it's bothering me." - he told her - "And now I can keep you warm." - he said as he embraced her.

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Gentleman." - she nuzzled him.

They remained like that for a while, until they noticed sometime had passed and they should be going back. They stood up and walked to the borrowed ice grinder, then climbed on it and drove the rest of the racing course. Once they arrived in the village again, it was time to begin the race.

* * *

 

"What do you mean he can't run?" - Finn was arguing with one of the Absolute Zeroes' female members - "Of course he can! He knows how to pilot one of these things!"

"But it'd be against the rules, I think." - the Blizzarian said.

"Nope. The rules say anyone could race, not only the sky knights." - he told her.

"Yes, anyONE, not anyTHING." - she said, pointing to Radarr, making the little co-pilot blink surprised - "We can't have pets riding in here." - now that comment made him growl disgusted.

"But he's the mission specialist, not our pet." - the sharpshooter tried to convince her.

"He might have an assignment on your team, but it doesn't mean he's not your mascot."

"Hey, hey, now what seems to be the problem?" - Suzy Lu came to them.

"She won't let Radarr compete!" - Finn told the sky knight.

"Oh, if he wants to see the scenery, he could ride with Aerrow." - she said.

"That's not the point. We want one more competitor for the Storm Hawks, so we want Radarr to ride on his own."

"Ah, I see. Well, let him test one ice grinder. If he can pull it off in the test run, allow him to race."

"Alrighty, then." - the female member showed Radarr one ice grinder he could use.

"Sweet!" - Finn said.

The little animal climbed on the ice grinder and drove it towards the smaller race course meant for testing. The female Blizzarian stood near the finishing line to tell him when he could go.

"Ready? Go!" - she moved her arm downwards.

The mission specialist accelerated the ice grinder and drove off really fast. He managed to complete the course just fine, though he had a bit of a hard time on the curves, but that was nothing he couldn't handle.

"See? I told you he could ride." - Finn said to the Blizzarian girl.

* * *

 

Soon, all the competitors were side by side behind the finishing line of the racing course. Aerrow looked at his side and saw Radarr mounted on an ice grinder near him.

"You're competing too, buddy?" - he laughed a bit, the little animal nodding excitedly - "Well, good luck. Let's hope at least one of us will win."

The sky knight stared at the course, he breathed heavily, he was concentrating. This race was going to be harder than the race from Terra Saharr. The obstacles were worse, there were stunts to be performed during the race. He pictured the course in his mind, so he'd not be surprised by a sudden stunt out of nowhere. The Absolute Zeroes knew that track with the back of their hands, he couldn't afford to make any mistakes, or he'd not reach the lead. Hm... He could do that, no problem!

"Is everybody ready to rock on?!" - Billy Rex cried from his ice grinder so all the competitors would hear him.

"Haha, you bet!" - Aerrow said, then he blinked upon hearing Piper's voice calling him.

"Aerrow!" - she shouted, drawing his attention - "You can do this." - she said, smiling at him.

He returned the smile, glad she had so much confidence in him.

"Alright, riders!" - a female member of the Absolute Zeroes appeared, holding a flag - "Get ready!" - she waited a few seconds, then she swung the flag, announcing the start of the race.

All ice grinders accelerated and drove off very fast by a straight path, until they all turned left on a curve and disappeared, going towards the mountain. Everyone could watch the race's progress through some big holographic screens.

"You've added quite a few things to your Terra when you got back." - Piper said to Suzy Lu.

"Yep. We felt it needed some upgrades." - she replied - "We've improved a lot of things around here. We even added a few obstacles to the racing track that we can activate and control remotely." - she picked up a remote that was lying on a table nearby.

"Wait, remotely? So that means..."

"Our racers are in for a big surprise." - the Sky Knight pressed a button in the remote, then a camera moved to record the obstacle appearing in the track.

It was near some pointy curved rocks covered in snow. The ground opened in certain sections, revealing a new hidden path underneath the racing course. Whether was that a shortcut or even a path that led to nowhere, nobody could tell, except for who designed the race.

* * *

 

Aerrow was in first place, naturally. He was fast as always, confident in his ability, until suddenly, he saw the ground opening and huge gaps appearing ahead. He blinked surprised. There'd be no time o slow down before he'd fall in one of those gaps, the only way to pass by that would be accelerating even more and driving through that with the best of his skills. And that's what he did.

He pushed the ice grinder over its maximum speed, then rode by one of the curved, pointy rocks, using the momentum to throw him past one of the gaps, and making him land on another rock. He kept doing this, his ice grinder spun in the air several times. Everyone watching through the holographic screens was speechless. That guy could drive! No wonder he was the best rider in the race in Terra Saharr!

Soon the other competitors arrived at the obstacle area, but many of them fell in the gaps while the rest managed to cross the place by betting on the luck that their rides were fast enough to throw them in the air, past the gaps. Aerrow was the only one who passed by that part of the course with style.

* * *

 

"Hehe, your boy pulls off quite the stunts, eh?" - Suzy Lu commented to Piper about Aerrow's performance - "Let's see how he'll do in the next obstacle." - she pressed another button in the remote.

* * *

 

Aerrow kept driving as fast as he could, he couldn't let the others catch up with him, because if he made one mistake during the obstacle parts, he could lose the lead, and he had promised Piper that he'd win that crystal for her. But his thoughts were interrupted when he entered a tunnel of ice and suddenly many stalactites and stalagmites appeared on the ground and the ceiling. He was moving so fast he almost crashed into the icy spikes.

At the very last second, he turned to the right, his ride accelerating through the wall and even the ceiling. He kept following this path, dodging all the obstacles by riding in a huge spiral. Again, he impressed everyone with his maneuver.

After he exited the tunnel, he activated his communicator.

* * *

 

" _How did I do now?_ " - his voice came on Piper's communicator.

"You're doing great! Everybody is stunned!" - she giggled.

"Does anything ever beat this guy?" - one spectator, an old man, said while laughing a bit, drawing Piper's attention.

Aerrow just went silent, so he could hear what the people were talking about.

"I know right?" - a little girl said.

"Yeah. He's like... A God Rider!" - a young boy said excitedly. It seems he admired Aerrow's skills a lot.

Piper smiled at that as she approached the three.

"Well, he is the best rider of Atmos." - she said - "I used to be worried about those stunts of his. I thought he'd end up hurt one day. But now, I think that'll never happen. I have confidence in his abilities. There's no stunt he can't pull off."

"Hey, you're Piper, right?" - the boy said - "So you know him for a long time, isn't it?"

"Yes, we've known each other for many years."

"Are you his girlfriend?" - the girl asked.

"Oh, me? I..." - she wasn't expecting that, so she began to blush.

"We overheard him saying he was going to win you a prize." - the boy told her.

"Yes! Aww, that's so cute!" - the girl jumped excited - "You must mean a lot to him."

The Crystal Mage smiled warmly.

"You could say that." - she stared at the holographic screen that showed Aerrow riding as she placed her hand clenched softly into a fist on her heart, her smile never leaving her face - "And he means a lot to me as well."

"That's so sweet." - the little girl said.

"Let's keep this just between us, though, okay?" - Piper said.

"Huh? Why?" - the girl asked.

"Why, because she wants this to be private." - the old man explained, and the navigator nodded.

"Aww... But this felt like a fairytale!" - the girl said, a bit disappointed.

"Now, now, let's not push it. If she asked this to be a secret, then we shall keep it." - the old man said.

"Alright, I understand."

Piper giggled.

"So... A fairytale, you said?" - she commented.

"Yeah, he's the knight in shining armor and you're his princess!"

"Me? A princess?" - the Crystal Mage asked.

"Yes! You're so pretty! You look like one!"

"Oh, thank you, I'm flattered now." - she giggled.

That little girl was so adorable!

" _I agree with her 100%!_ " - Aerrow's voice spoke on her communicator loud enough for the other three to hear as well, which made Piper blush.

"Hey, Aerrow's talking!" - the boy was very excited, his idol was speaking!

The little girl smiled happily, she thought it was sweet that Aerrow had just said he found Piper beautiful too.

"My grandchildren really like you, Aerrow. You're a role model for my grandson." - the old man said.

" _Hehe. I'm honored to hear that. I just hope I'm doing a good job at that._ "

"Oh, you surely are."

"Hey, would you teach me your tricks one day? I always wanted to ride like you!" - the boy asked.

" _Haha, of course!_ "

"Hm... Aerrow, I think he's too young for that right now. He can't ride yet." - Piper told him.

" _Oh. Well, okay then. When you get your first skyride, I'll teach you all I know._ "

"Cool! I can't wait for that day!"

" _Then it's settled. Well, I better focus on the race now, guys. I'll talk to you again after I finish the race, okay?_ "

"Sure! Good luck!" - the little girl said.

"He doesn't need luck, he'll win for sure. I know that!" - the boy said as all went back to watching the race.

* * *

 

Aerrow was still in the lead. He had just passed by the mountain's top and was making his way down, following the curved path towards the finish line, which was down at the village. It was then that he heard something, then felt the ground tremble. Oh no... He looked behind him and saw an avalanche was going down the mountain very fast! And that was a big one!

He accelerated his ice grinder to maximum speed, but it was hard to properly pass by the curves at such high speed and with the ground shaking like that! And the curves were slowing him down, the avalanche was catching up quickly!

He then looked to the side and saw the other competitors driving down a straight path that ended up joining his path in a section way ahead, near the bottom of the mountain.

"Hey, that's not fair!" - he shouted - "Why can they use a shortcut?"

" _Oh, you see, since we launched an avalanche when you were way ahead of them, they'd have no way to continue the race, so we had to open the second path for them._ " - Suzy Lu told him through Piper's communicator.

"I see..." - he said a bit disappointed and annoyed at the fairness of the race - "Well, can I do something to make up for that?"

" _What do you have in mind?_ "

"I'll ignore this path and go down in a straight line."

" _Well, that sounds balanced, if you manage to do that. It's not advised to drive like that, this side of the mountain is more dangerous._ "

"It's okay, I can handle that."

" _Be careful, Aerrow._ " - Piper said.

"Hey, don't worry! I'll be fine, Piper, I promise. Just watch."

He then accelerated and went straight down the mountain. His ice grinder jumped several times, thanks to the irregular slopes, and it fell on the ground harder and harder, because the slopes were getting more and more extreme. He could feel the impact, and that told him things were good.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..." - he muttered to himself, then looked at the side and saw the opponents were coming closer - "But I have to win the race!"

It was then that he saw he was headed to the most extreme of all the slopes. Time to brace himself!

* * *

 

Everyone gasped at the situation. They saw the avalanche coming so close to Aerrow that he was completely covered by the powder cloud right before he got to the slope. The snow finally hit a large wall below the slope, creating much more dust from the impact.

All could see the other competitors emerging from the huge white cloud, but no sign of Aerrow.

"Oh my, has he suffered an accident?" - Suzy Lu was a bit worried, she didn't want their friendly race to result in something bad happening - "I better go get the patrol unit ready."

"No, wait!" - Piper said with hope in her voice - "Look!"

Suddenly, a shadow appeared, and then, Aerrow burst through the powder cloud, his ice grinder flying in the air thank to the impulse from the last slope. He flew by all the competitors and landed quite hard on the first position.

Everyone cheered, for he was safe. He didn't waste his time, he kept accelerating. It was now only that straight line between him and the finish line. The other competitors didn't hold back either, they drove as fast as they could. When it seemed like it was going to end up in a tie, Aerrow forced his vehicle to go over the maximum speed, crossing the finish line before everyone else.

Piper was so excited she ran towards Aerrow as his ice grinder came to a stop. He got out of the vehicle before she arrived, and once she came to him, they hugged each other, then he lifted her from the ground a bit and spun around once, putting her back on her feet right after.

In the end, he was the only Storm Hawk that had won. Radarr came in 4th place, Junko in 6th and Finn in last.

"Oh, come on, my ice grinder sucked!" - the sharpshooter tried to make up an excuse for his awful performance as he got out of his vehicle - "Hey, Aerrow, are you sure you don't want the ice grinder? It looks so cool!"

"Sorry, Finn, but I've already made up my mind. I'll choose the Blizzard Crystal." - the leader said as he walked towards the stand with the prizes and picked the crystal up.

"Aww." - the blonde guy said disappointed, then just walked towards Junko, so they at least could enjoy the food from the party.

The red-haired Storm Hawk walked towards Piper, who was near the two kids and their grandfather.

"Hey, there. Look at what I got for you." - he offered her the crystal.

The little girl smiled broadly at the scene, while the boy's eyes shined for he was seeing his idol from that close!

"Thank you, Aerrow." - she said softly as she gladly picked the crystal from his hand, then hugged him again and secretly gave him a peck on the cheek.

When they broke apart from each other, Aerrow knelt on the ground, looking at the kids.

"So you must be the children I talked to, right?" - he said - "What are your names?"

The boy was so excited he could barely speak, so the girl had to do that for him.

"I'm Mia, and these are my brother Marcel and my grandpa Astor." - she said, gesturing to her relatives.

"It's nice to meet you guys." - Aerrow smiled.

"That was a great race, Aerrow." - she complimented him.

"Great? It was awesome!" - the boy finally managed to talk - "He first jumped on those huge pointy rocks like this, then he drove in a spiral like that and then he escaped the avalanche like this!" - he said, trying to mimic what Aerrow did.

The Sky Knight laughed.

"Guess you really enjoyed all that, huh?" - he said.

"I... Uh... Yes! That was so cool!" - the boy still had some difficulty talking to his hero face to face.

The kids and Aerrow talked for a while, as Piper and Astor observed. Aerrow even began playing with the kids, giving them piggybacks.

"Ah, he's such a good young man." - the children's grandfather commented.

"Yeah... He's a wonderful person..." - Piper agreed.

As she watched him entertaining the kids, she thought of something: if they ever make it that far, and she honestly hoped for it, she thought he'd be a great father one day. He was very fond of those kids and he had just met them. And they loved him. This was something quite rare to find in such a young guy like him. Guys like Finn, for an instance, only cared about enjoying their youth by entertaining themselves. Now Aerrow was selfless, he wanted to make others happy, and being able to do that made him happy. Maybe he was the guy she was meant to be with for the rest of her life. She wanted time to tell that to her, and it already began saying exactly that.

"Excuse me, Piper?" - the little girl approached her and held her wrist - "Would you join us?"

"Yeah, come on play in the snow with us!" - the boy shouted from a bit far away.

Aerrow looked at her with a pretty inviting expression as well. The Crystal Mage giggled.

"Sure, I can't say no to all this!" - she said, then followed the little girl towards the boy and the Sky Knight that waited for them.

They all had a great time together. Even though they weren't all related, that still felt like they were a family playing together: the parents and their kids. That realization made Aerrow and Piper's love for each other grow even more, because they could already picture an amazing future in their minds. If things were going to be so good, why not keep them flowing then? Well, they were certainly going to let them happen, that was for sure, and they couldn't wait to know what tomorrow had in store for them. Of course, they'd keep cherishing all their time together until the moment arrives.


	14. The Shrine that Cries Diamonds

**Chapter XIV**  
  
**The Shrine that Cries Diamonds**

It was very early in the morning. The sun was shining through the clouds, the breeze was soft and the weather was warm enough. You could spot two figures climbing up a mountain: it was Aerrow and Piper.

"Thank you for coming here, Aerrow. It means a lot that you're interested in something so silly like this, though it's very dearly to me." - the girl said looking down at him, who was catching up with her.

"Hey, this isn't silly. If it's important to you, it's important to me as well." - he said to her, making her smile - "But why did we leave our skyrides down there?"

"It's so the guys won't find our exact location." - she told him - "I want this to be something special. Between only you and me."

Aerrow liked that idea. He longed for some private time with her for quite a while. The two continued climbing, until Piper spoke again.

"I wonder how did you get Radarr to stay in the Condor." - she asked.

"Well, I just said he shouldn't worry, since we'd come back soon." - he said.

* * *

 

_Aerrow was walking towards his skimmer, while Piper was already waiting for him on her heliscooter. He heard Radarr following him, so he turned around and knelt on the floor._

_"Ah, buddy, I think you won't be coming with us this time." - he said trying to sound reluctant - "I'm going to a quick crystal expedition with Piper, we won't be gone for too long, don't worry."_

_Radarr chirped confused. A crystal expedition? But Aerrow wasn't that fond of… And then it hit him, so he blinked. Ah… A "crystal expedition"! The little animal smiled to himself. He chirped happily giving two thumbs up as the Sky Knight stood up and mounted on his ride._

_Both rode the landing strip then took off as the co-pilot waved at them, then he closed the hangar door._

* * *

 

"I guess he didn't buy the excuse, though. He probably knows what's going on." - the red-haired young man said.

Piper giggled.

"Maybe, but I don't think he'd tell the others, he knows how to keep a secret." - she commented.

"Yeah, I know. He's very loyal." - Aerrow smiled.

It was great that he had such a trustworthy friend like Radarr. The mission specialist certainly knew and understood everything, and he seemed to actually be happy for Aerrow. No wonder the little guy was his best friend in the world, along with Piper too, though now she was even more than that. A few more minutes climbing and they finally hit the top.

"Here we are. Seems like nothing has changed!" - the girl said excitedly, after taking a peek then climbing up on the ground.

Aerrow soon was standing there by her side, looking around at the beautiful place. There was a kind of vale with quite a few mountains surrounding it, there was some fog shimmering in the sunlight, some waterfalls running from the mountains into a lake and there also seemed to be some thermal pools being connected to the lake.

"This place is amazing! When did you find it?" - he said in awe.

"I've traveled quite a lot before meeting you guys. I had found this place when I was still a child. I had spent many months in here, then I left to continue my journey." - she told him - "Coming back after all these years feels so…"

"Nostalgic…" - he completed for her, making her blink curiously.

"Yeah… Are you having a déjà vu or something now?" - she asked him.

"It feels as if I had been to this place before… But I can't remember it too well, my childhood is still fuzzy…" - he said.

"I see… Well, maybe we can refresh your memory, let's explore!" - she said, then she grabbed his wrist and dragged him along as she ran towards one of the thermal pools.

Luckily, she had made him pack some extra clothes on his bag before they left. Now he could see why. They changed their clothes so they could go into the pool. Aerrow was wearing dark red swim trunks, and Piper wore a navy blue bikini with two orange bows on the sides of the bottom part and one on the front of the top part.

"Wow, when did you buy those?" - the Sky Knight asked as he walked near her.

"Last time we passed by Terra Saharr to get some supplies I saw them on a tent and thought you'd like them." - she blinked twice shyly - "I wasn't sure if I should have bought them at the time, because I know we were supposed to save for the repairs on the Condor, but…"

Her speech was interrupted by a peck on the lips from Aerrow as he pulled her closer and held her.

"You look beautiful on them." - he told her, which made her blush - "And don't worry about saving so much, you should buy stuff for yourself whenever you feel like it. I'll work twice harder if needed to pay for them."

"You have so much devotion, Aerrow…" - she said, then she giggled a bit - "You've always been that way, ever since we first met." - she placed a hand on his cheek - "And I always liked that about you…"

The red-haired young man smiled broadly. So Piper always thought highly of him. He couldn't be any happier now.

"Well… I always had a soft spot for you." - he rubbed the back of his head - "And to think I only realized how much I actually liked you now… Guess I didn't know myself enough to figure out that my constant urge to protect you and to have your attention meant I was in love." - he smiled sheepishly.

The two stared at each other lovingly, and the girl blushed again, thinking back to the old times. Yes, she had noticed that kind of behavior from him ever since then, but, unfortunately, she never had time to think about it, because they were constantly bothered by the Cyclonians. However, in these last months, Cyclonia seems to have been quiet for a while, so she finally had the chance to figure out what was going on between them. And nothing could have been better than finding out they were such a great match.

She rested her head on his chest as they took in their embrace.

* * *

 

In a dark cave a light passed by, illuminating the area around a group of people walking by. That is, if they could be called people: they had pale skin and their faces had some peculiar features, they looked like the undead. They were also dressed as pirates, they were the Murk Raiders.

"This better not be the wrong way, Eyeball…" - the bulky Captain Scabulous said threateningly.

"No, not this time, captain." - the fat pirate replied - "I revised the map thrice before bringing everyone here. This is the right way."

They kept walking when another one of the crew, the one wearing a dreadlock tied a little on top of his head and with a metallic skull for a hand, spoke.

"What are we looking for?" - he asked.

"One of the most valuable hidden treasures you could imagine." - the captain said with a smirk, then he looked towards the light coming from the opening right ahead of them - "The shrine that cries diamonds."

There, right in front of them was the so valuable treasure. It was a shrine in homage of some goddess worshipped by the ancient people that one lived in that terra. The statue was made of solid gold, with many precious stones attached all over it. The sculpture pictured the goddess holding two bowls in a certain angle, as if she were pouring water down from both of them, but instead of water, diamonds were pouring down endlessly into a hole. The sun illuminating the room made the jewels sparkle in a charming spectacle of lights. The pirates just stared quite mesmerized, then quickly grinned, rubbing their hands together with the intent of stealing the shrine.

* * *

 

Aerrow and Piper sat beside each other, submerged on the thermal pool up until their necks. The water was pretty hot, but not way too hot to the point it could burn one's skin. It was very pleasant to just relax in there, breathing the clean air that circulated around the area. They held each other's hands, their fingers intertwined, and even with their eyes closed, they could feel each other's presence very clearly.

The Sky Knight turned his head to the side slightly, staring calmly at the girl. He observed carefully every single inch of her face. Her wet skin glowed a little under the sunlight, her hair was down due to the weight of the water and it rested on her shoulders. Her eyelids were softly closed, a satisfied smile graced her features. Her fingers felt very smooth on his hand, he could also feel her warmth against his skin. And it was then that he remembered the dream he had when he slept on the Condor's roof a while ago. He just exhaled his breath silently while grinning, and rested his head against the rocky edge of the thermal pool as he stared forward at nothing in particular.

"Feeling peaceful inside?" - Piper asked softly, and he nodded in response - "What are you thinking about?"

"Just wondering… If there's even more to this place than what you just showed me." - he said, and she looked at him curiously - "You never cease to amaze me, so I figured you had something else in store for today." - he flashed her a grin.

"You thought right…" - she smiled impressed at how he found out her little surprise before she even got the chance to hint at it, then she stood up, still holding his hand, to walk further towards the middle of the pool, where it was deeper - "Come with me, I'll show you why I brought you here."

Both swam to the very middle of the pool, then Piper dove into the water, and Aerrow followed her close behind. They headed for an underwater tunnel. At first, it was dark inside, but then some greenish light came from some holes on the rock, protected by glassy crystals that prevented the water from leaking out of the tunnel. They kept swimming, and Aerrow noticed there was some kind of water current pulling them towards their destination.

They literally went down through a short waterfall and into another pool, but this time, it wasn't possible to reach the water surface, because the ground from the upper level prevented anyone from poking their heads out of the water, except in the small area where the waterfall was pouring down. They swam some more, and the water started to become pitch black, so Piper slowed down for a brief moment to grab Aerrow's hand and guide him through the darkness.

As they reached the floor underwater, the girl touched it and then the magic began. Several crystals of many colors lit up, creating a colorful underwater rainbow effect. The couple looked around at all the glowing stones throwing light everywhere, then they looked at each other.

Aerrow was completely mesmerized, just staring at Piper in a daze. Her hair moved slowly, accompanying the water flow caused by her gracious swimming movements. The colorful light shining on it and on her skin gave a whole new feeling to the scene, he just couldn't stop looking at her, and she felt the same sensation about him, specially after seeing how the light reflecting on his green eyes made them more beautiful and hypnotizing than ever.

They just stayed there, getting lost in each other, until the need for air kicked in, so they quickly swam towards a tunnel that led to another thermal pool. As they reached the water surface, they took a few deep breaths to replenish their lungs with oxygen, then they calmly swam towards the edge of the pool, where Aerrow rested his back on, and Piper placed herself right on top of him as they embraced each other.

"Told you 'you never cease to amaze me'." - he whispered to her, making her blush and smile.

They stared at each other for a moment. He observed her wet hair floating in the water surface around her and noticed a few locks falling in front of her face, so he moved them away with his hand as they leaned in slowly, closing their eyelids for one more kiss, but a noise interrupted them when their lips were an inch apart, so they briefly glanced at each other and at their surroundings, then went to check out what was going on. They took a peek through the edge of the pool at the floor on the level below them, and what they saw made Piper gasp.

"The Murk Raiders!" - she whispered surprised.

"What are they up to this time?" - Aerrow wondered.

Then Piper spotted the golden shrine.

"They're stealing the shrine of the goddess Nixan." - she turned to him - "She's from Eyrkai mythology. I-I was going to show you another reason for why I like this place so much and it was because of the ancient shrines… I used to come here to study them." - she explained.

He turned to the group of pirates, glaring at them. Oh, no, they'd not have their way. As Piper watched worriedly the pirates approaching the statue of the goddess, she didn't notice Aerrow diving into the water. The place she spent a long part of her childhood in was being raided by selfish pirates… She couldn't bear that.

"They… They can't get away with this… Aerrow, we gotta go back and tell the-" - she then saw he was no longer beside her - "Others… Aerrow?" - she silently called for him.

Suddenly, she had a surprise: the Sky Knight glided right above her, already dressed and with his swords attached to his back. How did he do that so fast?! And he was heading for the group of thieves alone!

"Aerrow, don't!" - she shouted in a whisper, reaching an arm out for him, but it was already too late, there was no turning back for him anymore.

As the pirates moved in to loot the statue, Aerrow pulled his swords out and activated them, then he absorbed some energy to perform a move, but it wasn't his known Sky Knight move he was doing: light enveloped him as he glided faster towards the group of looters and boosted his speed even more. When a pirate was coming very close to the shrine, Aerrow dropped down like a bomb, literally creating an explosion that sent the 6 closest pirates flying into the walls. Once the smoke dissipated, the thieves managed to see who had attacked them.

"You!" - Captain Scabulous shouted angrily, drawing his sword out.

The other crew members did the same as they surrounded the Sky Knight.

"You have no right to take this relic away." - Aerrow told him - "Why don't you go steal something worthless since that's what you're all about, you filthy pirates?!" - he addressed the others as well.

The bulky captain growled.

"What makes you think you can just come here and interrupt our looting?!"

"I'll give you this warning: you better get out right now, or things will get grim for you." - Aerrow said.

"We'll see about that." - the captain smirked - "Attack!" - he ordered his pirates as he also charged forward.

"You've made a big mistake…" - the red-haired young man said as he readied himself for battle.

And he was right, the fight was nearly a massacre: he easily knocked out every single minion that came at him, first dodging or parrying their attacks then throwing in his own precise offensive strikes. Sometimes he somersaulted and jumped on the walls, then charged at his enemies, wrecking quite the havoc.

Quickly Eyeball ran at him, trying to hit him, but he rolled out of the way on the last second, causing the fat pirate to break a hole in the wall and get stuck on it. Well… He had tried…

At last, it was time for the duel against the pirate captain. Scabulous swung his sword relentlessly, and Aerrow kept parrying and dodging. While the bulky undead looking man was clearly more skilled than his crew, he still was no match for the young man, or so he thought. The captain had actually learned some new moves of his own and was putting up fight way harder than the green-eyed Storm Hawk expected. But then he realized that was because he had low stamina. He had spent so long holding his breath back there that his lungs weren't prepared for intense physical activity that required lots of oxygen yet. So he was having some difficulty breathing, since his lungs hadn't been properly replenished, that's why he was having a little bit of trouble taking the pirate down.

He quickly pushed his thoughts aside as he avoided a blow to the stomach that could have knocked the air out of him. He couldn't risk having even more difficulty breathing, otherwise, he'd lose that duel. He cross parried a strike coming from above, then noticed Scabulous attempting to kick him, so he pushed his opponent's sword upwards then jumped in the air. Somersaulting above the captain's head, he extended one of his legs and kicked the pirate in the back of the head, sending him crashing into the ground, then landed perfectly on his feet.

Suddenly, he saw one pirate sneaking through all the havoc he was causing and trying to stealthily steal the shrine, but when the minion was about to grab a hold of the golden statue, Aerrow's voice made him freeze.

"Touch that shrine and your captain dies." - he warned, he was stepping on Scabulous back, with his sword pointed to the back of his neck and as he saw the pirate turning around slowly, he continued - "Leave, now." - he said as he stepped out of the captain's back.

All the pirates grouped up and gathered all the unconscious bodies and injured crew member, then quickly left through the cave they had come from, running for their dear lives. Aerrow sighed in relief as he put his swords on his back, then he heard Piper rushing down towards him and turned around. He barely had time to do a complete 180 degrees spin when she ran into him and hugged him tightly. He tenderly returned the hug as he saw she was dressed back in her uniform already.

"Thank you so much, Aerrow." - she said as she kissed him on the cheek then rested her head on his chest.

He smiled and laid his head on top of hers as they stood there embracing each other for a moment. He could feel her silky hair brushing against his nose as he planted a kiss on the crown of her head.

"Anything for you, Piper." - he said softly to her.

Little did they know that a Night Crawler was watching the whole fight happen. The dark soldier lifted a hand to his head and spoke to his communicator.

"Everything has been recorded, master." - he reported.

" _Good. I see he's pretty strong now, why don't you go test him for me?_ " - she said, which made him blink. Was she actually suggesting…?

"With all due respect, master, he just took down the Murk Raiders single-handedly. I don't think I can take him on alone, not anymore." - he told her.

" _I am aware of that, I just wanted a confirmation, you don't have to concern yourself with fighting him now._ " - she said - " _So far the elixir has gotten its augmentation effect just right, but the mental effects are still pending…_ " - then she noticed the couple hugging each other through the view her Night Crawler provided - " _And he also seems to have grown even more fond of her… I wonder if that might be some kind of collateral effect._ " - the young Empress commented, completely unaware that the couple she was watching at the moment was an actual pairing - " _I'll give it some more observation time before deciding whether or not to take an action. You may come back with your report now._ "

"Right away, master." - the soldier said as he turned his communicator off and stealthily left the scene.

* * *

 

Cyclonis just sat in her throne staring at the empty Installation Crystal in her hand.

"You better not have let me down with this." - she said bitterly, referring to her predecessor.

The sound of thunder echoed through the room, consuming all the silence.


	15. Storytelling Stars

**Chapter XV**

**Storytelling Stars**

The sky was dark, the stars were shining, the wind was blowing softly and two people laid side by side on the roof of the Condor as the ship flew smoothly in the night. Aerrow and Piper just observed the midnight blue celestial vault filled with several sparkling dots in silence. Their heads were touching, the night breeze flowed around them, which made the girl shiver slightly, prompting the boy to look at her.

"Are you cold?" - he asked as he moved his arm around her in an attempt to make her feel warmer.

"Just a little, but I'm fine." - she smiled at him as she made herself comfier in his "embrace", then flit her eyes back to the sky.

She had decided to leave her silky hair free that night, so it moved around her head gracefully in all its beauty. Aerrow noticed it, and a smile came to his face.

"Have I ever told you your hair is really pretty?" - he spoke.

Piper looked at him quite flattered, her cheeks even grew a little rosy.

"Thanks." - she said softly - "Though… I think you implied that once."

"I did?" - he was curious, since she seemed to have remembered something that had happened to them, long ago.

She nodded, then she stared at the stars again.

* * *

 

_After shutting down a Talon Academy, Aerrow and Piper went back to the Condor, even with a little souvenir: some Cyclonian skyrides. The girl was checking herself in the mirror of her room, while the Sky Knight sat on a bench near her desk._

_"Hm… I think I'll wear my old hairstyle back, these ponytails don't really suit me." - the navigator said as she flipped one of the ponytails with her hand._

_"Well, at least your hair looks fine in any way, and not like this." - Aerrow pointed to his brand new haircut given by the Cyclonian army._

_Piper couldn't help but giggle at that. She sat on her bed and proceeded to untie her hair._

_"Alright, I'll give you a hand with that." - she told him as she removed the hair elastic from one of the ponytails, making half of her whole hair shot up a little, like it usually stayed when she wore her hairband._

_"You will? How?" - he stared at her questionably._

_"With the help of my crystals, of course." - she said while she let the other half of her hair go back to its normal position as well, then she stood up to grab something in one of the crates on a shelf above her bed - "I really need to find somewhere else to place this crater on." - she mumbled since she couldn't reach the top of the big metallic box._

_Aerrow stood from the bench and walked closer to her, then picked up a Solar crystal from the crate._

_"This one?" - the boy asked as he handed her the crystal._

_"Yes, and also the green one over there." - she pointed at another crate on the same shelf._

_"How can these help me?" - he questioned after he gave her the other crystal._

_"You know the Solar crystal already, but you've never seen this one here. It's a Fertilizer crystal." - she told him._

_"Uh, Piper… Wouldn't that, you know, only work on plants?" - the Sky Knight was a bit skeptical._

_"Normally, yes." - she began - "But you're forgetting that I'm a Crystal Mage, and there are some perks that come with it, like being able to unleash the side effects of any crystal. The Fertilizer crystal in the hands of a mage can prompt anything to grow, and that includes your hair." - she pointed at the messy tuft of hair in his head._

_"Okay… You're the expert." - he shrugged as he sat on the bench again._

_The girl walked to him with both crystals in her hand. First, she used the green one to release what seemed to be seeds all over his head, then she used the Solar crystal to speed up the growth process. Soon, tufts of hair began growing, and the light made them reach the full length of Aerrow's usual hairstyle. The leader blinked surprised when he noticed his hair falling in front of his eyes the way it always did, and he grinned broadly at that. A moment later Piper was done and she took a few steps back so he could go look at himself in her mirror._

_"It actually worked!" - he said as he passed a hand by his messy red locks._

_Piper placed both the crystals in her desk, then she opened a drawer under it and pulled out her hairband and a hairbrush._

_"See? I told you I'd give you a hand, didn't I?" - she commented proudly while she sat on the bench, brushing her hair._

_"Ah, now that's more like it. My old hairstyle suits me better." - he said as he checked himself out one last time, then stepped to the side as Piper came from behind him and walked to the mirror._

_"Old, but still gold, right?" - she spoke as she adjusted her hairband around her head, then she stared back at Aerrow, who smiled in agreement._

* * *

 

"Oh, haha, I remember that." - Aerrow chuckled - "I didn't even realize I actually implied that, though it is true… I've always liked your hair."

"That explains why you seemed so smitten with me when we first met." - Piper commented as she looked up at him.

He grinned at her.

"That's not the only reason, though. I liked a lot of things about you when I first saw you." - he told her - "I believe I've made that clear back then." - he looked at the sky.

* * *

 

_Aerrow and Piper sat near a fireplace, with the girl using a stick to keep the flames alive. Finn and Radarr were fast asleep, so it was the first time the two of them spent a moment alone. The red-haired boy stared at her in thought. After a while she noticed he kept watching her non-stop, and that made her a little uncomfortable for some reason._

_"Hm… Is there something wrong?" - she asked without looking at him directly._

_"No, nothing at all. Why?" - the boy shrugged a little confused._

_"Well, you… You're constantly looking at me, I thought…" - she trailed off._

_"Hm? Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to creep you out." - he quickly flit his eyes to the flames in front of him - "It's just… You seem to be upset with something, so I was wondering what have you been through that made you sad."_

_The girl stared at him for a moment, then lowered her head again._

_"Oh, I see. You're right, but… I'm trying to forget what happened… I hope you won't mind if I don't want to talk about it." - she looked deeply at the flames - "I'm grateful you at least cared about how I'm feeling right now, that was really kind of you, since I'm just a stranger. But you don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine."_

_"It's okay, I don't want to force you to talk nor anything." - he said - "And you're not a stranger, well, not anymore."_

_She looked back at him, and he could swear he saw a smile in her face, tiny and shy, but it was definitely a smile. He felt a warm feeling inside, and for some reason he just wanted to see a true smile from her, he had to._

_"I hope you're alright." - he spoke, drawing her attention - "I mean, after we bumped into each other back there, and I nearly squished you…" - he rubbed the back of his head with his hand - "I just want you to know that's not how I normally greet someone."_

_At that, the girl couldn't hold her laughter. That boy really did have a good sense of humor. In dark times like the one they were going through, being able to find something to laugh at was a virtue. As for him, he just enjoyed every second of that moment. It went even better than he was expecting, because she didn't just smile, she laughed! Her giggles were like music to him, and her smile felt like the sun shining its bright light everywhere. He knew it… She had a beautiful smile, and he had guessed it in advance._

_"I'm fine." - she giggled - "And it's okay, I can see you're a nice person."_

_He grinned at her, then both stared at the flames again. After a while, he spoke again._

_"You look so much better like that." - he said quietly, without removing his eyes from the fireplace._

_The girl immediately flit her eyes back at him, caught off guard._

_"W-what?" - she asked almost like a whisper._

_"I mean when you're laughing." - he told her as his eyes met her gaze - "You should do that more often. Your smile really suits you."_

_She blinked speechless, then looked away, smiling in silent joy. It was hard to tell, thanks to the reddish light coming from the flames, but she might have blushed a little at his compliment. After having spent quite a while all alone, she was really grateful for having someone to make her company, specially such a gentle guy like him. From then on she would gladly call him a really good friend of hers._

* * *

 

Piper giggled at the memory.

"Ah, I remember that as if it had happened yesterday. How could I ever forget it? It's what encourages me to keep smiling." - she said to him.

"I'm glad to hear that, your smile is the reason I wake up everyday." - he told her - "Being able to see it greeting me in the morning makes my whole day brighter."

"You never cease to make me flattered." - she chuckled a bit, then snuggled closer to him, rubbing her face against his jaw.

He hugged her tighter, returning her affectionate gestures.

"You know you mean the world to me." - he said softly, which made her stare deeply at him.

"I think you've already let me know that, long ago." - she smiled broadly.

* * *

 

_"Well, I did always say I wanted a better view." - Piper said as she and Aerrow watched the sky through the huge hole in the wall._

_After a brief moment of silence, the boy spoke._

_"I'll have this patched up right away. While that, we're lucky we still have a spare room." - he said as both walked towards the spare room._

_Once he opened the door and the two peered inside, they cringed a little. The place wasn't the worst room ever, but it wasn't tidy either. So far they had been using that extra room to store random stuff, so the place was quite the mess. Upon seeing the girl staring upset at the room, Aerrow thought of something._

_"You can stay in my room with Radarr until yours is fixed. I'll crash here until then." - he suggested._

_"You're going to sleep in this mess?" - the navigator pointed at the room - "I'm sorry, Aerrow, but I can't let you do that to yourself."_

_"It's okay, I don't mind that, really." - he told her - "It's the least I can do for you after all you've done today. You deserve better."_

_"Wait… Is that the sound of recognition I hear?" - she smiled and placed a hand near her ear as if she were trying to hear better._

_Aerrow chuckled at that. Well, she got him._

_"Hey, you know I appreciate you." - he said, then he looked away - "I even tried going after you right before the Cyclonians attacked us."_

_"You did?" - she asked - "What did you tell the guys?"_

_"I said… I was going out on patrol." - he rubbed the back of his head as he admitted that not very proud of himself._

_"The truth was too awkward for a boy like you?" - she teased him._

_"If I had found you out there, I'd have taken a knee and begged you to come back if that's what you really wanted to see, you know I would." - he told her, which made her giggle - "By the way, I think you might want to change your last entry here." - he pulled out her squadron log and handed it to her._

_"Yeah, guess I will." - she said as she picked up the book from his hand._

_"Welcome back, Piper." - he nudged her lightly._

_"I'm glad to be here again." - she smiled._

* * *

 

Aerrow smiled shyly at Piper.

"You always knew how to make me feel good and appreciated." - she told him - "Like when you gave me the Oracle crystal…"

* * *

 

_Aerrow and Piper stood beside each other, the girl looking at the ground with an upset expression on her face, and the boy staring at her. The Sky Knight observed her for a moment, then smiled knowingly._

_"I grabbed something for you on the way out." - he told her as he pulled something from his pocket._

_"Huh?" - she turned to look at him, when she saw him holding out the Oracle crystal._

_She smiled while she picked the purple glowing stone from his hand, then stared at him longingly._

_"It's beautiful." - she commented, making Aerrow grin - "I wish I could rub it in Domiwick's face." - she held the crystal up and clenched it firmly in her hand._

_"That guy was a slimeball." - the boy said, rolling his eyes a little._

_"When I saw what he was really like, I felt so stupid!" - she told him - "But then I just felt sorry for him."_

_Aerrow placed a hand on her shoulder as both proceeded to walk back to the Condor._

_"You realize you're now Atmos' premier expert on the Forbidden City?" - he reminded her._

_"Maybe I should write a book." - she smiled._

_After a while walking, they made it to the ship, but they stopped for a moment. The girl stared at the crystal in her hand once more, a soft smile gracing her face._

_"You actually went out of your way to grab this, didn't you?" - she asked him._

_"Hm? How so?" - he didn't get where did that thought come from._

_"Maybe the fact that the city was collapsing and you still took your time to remove the crystal from its golden case?" - she explained._

_"Well, I had to leave a bait behind." - he looked at her mischievously, which made her giggle._

_"I can picture his disappointed expression right now." - she placed a hand on her mouth to cease her laughter - "That was a good one."_

_"A little payback wouldn't hurt." - he shrugged, causing Piper to stare at him knowingly._

_She could tell that wasn't only a way to get revenge for her, but for himself as well. Grateful for that, she quickly hugged him. He even stiffened for a second, because he wasn't expecting that, though he subconsciously briefly returned the hug._

_"Thank you." - she said as she pulled away, to which Aerrow just smiled._

* * *

 

"Sometimes I don't even know how to thank you. You've done so much for me." - Piper told him as she softly clenched her fingers against his shirt.

"It's because you've done even more for me, you just didn't realize that yet." - he said to her, which made her look at him questionably - "You're the one who taught me how to really care in the first place. You made me feel like a person and not a machine."

"Maybe… But still… You've done so many things after that, like putting yourself in danger to save me." - she looked at the sky.

"And I'd do that all over again, and again, and again." - he said - "It was worth more than you can imagine."

* * *

 

_After having come back from the lake in Terra Aquanos, Aerrow was taken to a room at an inn, where the Storm Hawks would spend the night until the Condor could be fished from the lake._

_"Here are your accommodations, Aerrow." - Tritonn said as the boy entered the room - "You better stay under the covers, so you won't catch a fever. I'll have someone bring you some tea and something to eat."_

_"I will. Thanks, Tritonn." - the young Sky Knight said as he walked towards the bed where he found some towels and blankets._

_All his friends that had followed him there left to go to their own rooms, except Piper, who stood by the door. She watched with a worried and uneasy expression on her face as he removed his shirt, tossing it on the desk, and enveloped himself in the towels. He sat on the bed and proceeded to dry his hair with another towel, when he noticed her gaze._

_"Are you okay?" - he stared at her, making her blink and shake her head._

_"I should be the one asking you that." - the navigator frowned._

_"I'm fine, don't worry." - he assured her calmly._

_"Don't worry? Because of me you had to risk your life in that lake." - she said - "This was all my fault."_

_"It wasn't your fault, Domiwick was the one who almost ruined everything there." - he let his hands rest on his knees._

_"He wouldn't have done that if I…" - she trailed off nearly instantly, realizing what she was about to say._

_But it was too late, Aerrow had already noticed._

_"Piper… Did he do something to you?" - he asked with a serious tone, and she stared at the ground ashamed in reply, which made him clench his fists and stand up - "I don't care if it's most likely we won't even see him again, he better not dare to ever come anywhere near you, unless he wants to feel my blades up at his throat!" - he actually made a threat._

_The girl smiled sadly and nodded gratefully._

_"Well, that's not the point right now, though…" - she said - "You didn't have to give me your breather, you didn't have to pay for my mistakes. I should have been the one left behind." - she placed a hand over her heart._

_"I'd never let that happen." - Aerrow said as he sat down on the bed again - "And I didn't regret giving you my breather, not even once."_

_"So I'm not allowed to be in danger but you can put your life in the line like that?" - Piper walked closer to him - "You could have drowned!" - she felt a little frustrated._

_"But I didn't." - he said bluntly - "You're safe, and I'm right here, well and alive, am I not? That's all that matters."_

_"No, it's not! You're so reckless!" - she snapped at him in frustration, making him blink taken aback a little - "How could you just do that?! Did you even consider you could have died and we'd have been left without a leader? What would we do without you?" - her voice was shaken and her eyes were starting to tear up - "Don't you understand that your life means something to us? That we need you?" - she fell to her knees with her head lowered, tears running down her cheeks._

_Aerrow's eyes widened, he no longer felt taken aback, in fact he was surprised. He had never seen her act that way. And even though she used the word "we" when she spoke, he could tell by the way she was pouring her heart out that she was referring mostly to herself._

_"Piper…" - he crouched near her, then he placed a finger under her chin to make her face him again._

_"Please…" - she said as she dried some of her tears with her hands - "Promise me you'll never risk your life like that again."_

_"You know I can't promise that." - he smiled in sympathy - "But I can promise to always come back."_

_The Crystal Mage shook her head a bit, a tiny sad smile gracing her features._

_"Oh, Aerrow…" - she said as she hugged him tightly - "I was so scared, I thought we had lost you." - she buried her face on his shoulder._

_The boy tenderly returned the hug and didn't dare to let go, so she could hold onto him for as long as she needed. And while that, he stroke her hair to calm her down._

* * *

 

"Yeah… That's just how you're like." - Piper said quietly - "Then I'll change the promise. I just want you to promise you'll never leave me." - she stared at him expectantly.

"Piper, I'd never even think of leaving you, much less actually going through with that." - Aerrow assured her.

"Good. Because you know you mean everything to me as well." - she held tightly onto him.

* * *

 

_Aerrow stood on the balcony, staring at the night sky. Piper came from inside the bridge and stopped by the front window._

_"Aerrow?" - she called, causing him to look at her - "I hope I'm not interrupting." - she said as she walked to him._

_"No, no, not at all." - he reassured her, then looked back at the sky._

_The two just stood like that for a second, before the girl spoke again._

_"You really did it." - she briefly smiled proudly at him, which made him grin._

_"I guess so…" - he said quietly._

_"What was it like?" - she leaned closer, showing her interest._

_"It's… Hard to find words." - he made a gesture with his hand._

_Both stared at the sky for a moment._

_"Who needs words?" - Piper shrugged, drawing Aerrow's attention - "At least you got pictures, right?" - she nudged him playfully._

_He shook his head, then rolled his eyes at looked at her with a frown. She put a hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly at him, then looked at the sky. A shooting star appeared for a split second, which made Aerrow stare at the stars longingly. The girl noticed that, so she broke the silence._

_"I think I know what you're wishing for." - she looked at him knowingly - "Don't worry about that, I was just teasing. Who cares about some pictures anyways? I'm really glad you're back." - she said, then she pulled something from her pocket - "And what do you know? This picture actually came out pretty good. I think we should keep it."_

_The Sky Knight stared at the photo in her hand: it was the picture he had taken of himself in space. He chuckled at that as he pulled the photo from her hand._

_"Yeah, guess we'll keep it, maybe even put in the photo album." - he smiled - "What do you think?"_

_"I agree, I think it deserves a special place in there." - she said._

_Both turned around and walked back inside the bridge._

* * *

 

The two of them stared at the stars that kept reminding them of their good memories. Piper's breathing became slower and softer as she drifted into her sleep. Aerrow glanced at her, enjoying the feeling of her hair tickling his jaw. She looked so peaceful when she slept… He rubbed his face against the midnight blue silk around her head, taking in every sensation he felt. Then he looked at the sky once more. At that moment, he promised himself he'd never let anything come between them, he'd never let anything bad happen to Piper, and nothing would break them apart. He'd be there with her for as long as he lived and even beyond.


	16. Promise of a Sunrise

**Chapter XVI**

**Promise of a Sunrise**

As the Condor flew by the starry night, Aerrow and Piper stayed on the roof. Both laid there after the talk they just had. The girl was breathing very calmly, as if she were sleeping, or so Aerrow thought. In fact, she was resting, but she hadn't begun to sleep for real, not yet. There was one certain memory playing in her mind.

* * *

 

_Aerrow pointed Piper's staff at Cyclonis after having disarmed her of the main crystal form her staff._

_"Now… About my biggest annoyance." - he quoted her words she had previously spoken when she was the one about to finish him off a minute ago._

_She panted for a brief moment, feeling almost desperate since the tables had turned completely and she could easily be killed at that moment. That is, if Aerrow weren't such a righteous guy…_

_"I already have what I really came for." - she showed him the nil crystal she had fetched from his now broken casket, causing him to stare a little confused at it - "Maybe next time."_

_The Empress slammed her staff on the ground, causing her other crystal to pretty much explode in a very strong beam of light the tore a large hole on the roof so she could escape. Being staggered by the bright light, Aerrow, Piper and Radarr were unable to stop her from running away._

_A few seconds later the Sky Knight pushed himself up from his position lying on the floor as the navigator and the co-pilot walked near him and observed the hole in the ceiling to see if Cyclonis was really gone. Disappointed, the boy sighed as he slowly sat on the ground. The girl exhaled in relief as she fell to her knees and looked at him._

_"You scared me a lot… I thought we had lost you twice today." - she said, which made him blink._

_"Uh… Yeah… Sorry about that. And…" - he rubbed the back of his head - "I hope you didn't get hurt because of me." - he studied her with a concerned look, since he did cause her to be tossed around by Cyclonis._

_She just shook her head beaming at him. Suddenly, she flung herself at him, giving him a hug, then, to his surprise, she actually gave him a peck on the cheek!_

_"I'm so proud of you!" - she told him._

_She was referring to how smart he was about the clock being 3 ticks too slow. The more impressive was that he was also able to keep counting for all those days to be so certain about the fact he had been healed just in time. He had truly impressed her that day. He smiled sheepishly at her compliment as he went awkwardly stiff for a brief moment because of her touch, nonetheless he returned the hug._

_Radarr also came to congratulate him, and after that, they all tidied the infirmary up a little so Aerrow could rest after that long day._

* * *

 

That memory sparked a train of thoughts in her head. She was thinking about what had been happening in their lives and what they had talked about a minute ago. One important thing came to her mind: Aerrow was always there for her, literally. And something about that made her worried: he always put himself in the line for her.

She thought about his sacrifice in Terra Aquanos again, how he beat all the odds and almost drowned to keep her safe. Then how he just jumped out of a window to save her from being strangled by a Night Crawler even though he had a fever and was really worn out from his sickness. And then how he single-handedly defeated the whole squadron of the Murk Raiders just so they'd not raid and destroy a place she considered sacred.

Now what came to her mind was: what if something worse happened? As in... If for some reason she... She... She died at the hands of an enemy... What would he do? After all his assuring words about how he'd never let anything happen to her... She knew no matter how good he meant with that, one couldn't predict the future... No matter how hard he tried, the odds could be against him. So... If that were to ever happen... She couldn't even picture in her mind what he'd do.

He was so devoted... Sometimes it was... Scary. Because, by being that attached to her, he'd most likely seek revenge or something... And she knew he was able to go way beyond his own limits when it came down to saving his friends, well, her especially, she came to notice... If something like that did happen... She was certain bad things would come right after... And that scared her.

She loved him a lot too, but for his sake, if something happened, she'd not do something that'd upset him. She'd not go overboard, she'd not attempt to bring disaster and disgrace to either herself or someone else, for that'd only make them worse than the one who took their loved ones' lives. So she needed to know if he'd do the same for her.

"Aerrow?" - she asked quietly as she slowly opened her eyes and stared at nowhere specifically.

"Oh, you're still awake?" - he smiled - "What's it, Piper? Can't sleep?"

She shook her head as she clenched her hand against his shirt and cuddled closer to him, almost as if she needed some comfort from that more than ever.

"I want to ask you something." - she said.

"Sure, anything." - he responded.

"I know you promised you'd never let anything happen to me..." - she began, and he started to frown for he was sensing what she was going to say next - "But we can't guess the future. If... If something were to happen... I want you to promise you won't let that get the best of you."

"Why are you suddenly talking about this?" - he questioned her.

"Because you're the most devoted person I've ever met. And I know you'd go beyond your limits without hesitating." - she told him - "If you were to set on a quest for revenge, you'd be blinded by your own rage and frustration. I know it's nearly impossible to forgive someone for something like that, so I'm not asking you to do that. I just... I don't want you to go after vengeance and end up... Bringing your own demise to yourself. So, please, promise me this..."

He stared at the stars in thought. What she said was definitely true, he was one reckless and stubborn Sky Knight alright... But... Would he even be able to keep that promise? He couldn't guess how he would act, or if he'd be strong enough to let the grieving feeling go and move on without doing nothing... Yet, he had to let her know that he'd do everything to listen to her.

"I'll try..." - he spoke quietly, as if he were sighing.

"Then do your best... I'd be really saddened if I saw you losing your way. Don't let your anger go over your head." - she said - "That's my worst fear..."

He blinked. Her worst fear was him... Losing it? Now that he thought about it, that kind of situation was actually worse than death itself. Going completely insane... He couldn't even picture what that would be like... Nor he wanted to... He knew for a matter of fact that he was prone to that kind of thing because he cared a little bit way too much. He was relentless in that aspect. So he'd have to work hard not to go down that path.

"I will. I promise." - he assured her as he held her tighter, to prove what he had just said.

"Thank you..." - she whispered.

She lifted her head a little and softly rubbed her face against his cheek almost like a cat, then she finally proceeded to sleep. He sighed sadly in his mind. She meant everything to him... He couldn't let her down on that promise. Yet, he couldn't seem to picture a life without her... Would he even be able to bear that? He was certain he'd not just... Carry on like that was nothing. He'd be left severely scarred, even empty... Like a part of himself had died. He'd be broken. He'd just not be himself anymore.

Still... He had promised her he'd not fall for the temptations of his heart seeking vengeance. He had just promised he'd move on and learn how to let go of her, if something were to happen. Everyone would die one day... And very few were lucky to die while sleeping peacefully, much less dying comfortably like that and at the same time being by the side of your lover's deathbed as well, so they'd both see each other one last time. Unless they were meant to end up being killed together... He knew that was very unlikely. One of them would stay. And the one who stays would have to learn how to live without the other.

Just thinking about that made his heart hurt... His _soul_ felt hurt. Why did the world work like that? Why people just had to go not to come back ever again? What was the purpose of life existing at all if in the end it'll eventually disappear anyway? And it was then that a quite famous thought crossed his mind: the journey. It wasn't the destination, the ending, that mattered. It was the journey. That's why it was important to cherish the present. _Carpe diem_ , seize the moment...

He looked at her. This time, he noticed she was truly asleep. She didn't even feel his chest moving as he breathed anymore. He felt the cold breeze of the night and realized it'd be best if they went inside. He slowly moved away from her and carefully picked her up in bridal style so he'd not wake her up. He walked to the small hatch on the roof and jumped down, landing smoothly on his feet. He took her to her room and placed her on the bed, then tucked her under her blankets. He placed a kiss on her forehead, then left the room.

As he headed to his own quarters, the thought about cherishing the present came once again to his mind. He stood by his door inside the room and looked at the sky through a small window. Maybe he should figure out something to do the next day so he could have the best time possible with her. That quick break from having to run for their lives or go into one mission after another was his only chance (at least in the nearest future) to do that, so he couldn't waste time. He threw himself in his bed, staring at the ceiling in thought.

"I guess tomorrow sounds like a good day for what I'm thinking about." - he said to himself as he smiled.

He closed his eyes so he could go to sleep. The next day would be special. And he'd try to get everything to go as perfectly as possible.

* * *

 

The next morning, Aerrow went to Piper's crystal lab to put his plan in motion. He knocked on the door and was greeted by the sunshine that were her eyes and smile. And it was then that he popped the question.

"Piper, tell me something you want. It can be anything, and I'll get it for you by the end of the day." - he said as he sat beside her near her desk.

"What for?" - she asked with a puzzled expression.

"I just want to prove that I'll keep my promise. No matter what happens, I'll devote myself only to good things, not bad ones." - he told her - "But, don't go easy on me. You can ask me something that's really hard to find, I don't mind."

"Are you suggesting to go on a quest to bring me a gift?" - she giggled amused by his idea - "That's so sweet, Aerrow, but seriously, there's no need. You've already given me all I could ever ask." - she grabbed his hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"C'mon, there must be something you don't have that you'd really love to." - he smiled knowingly.

"Okay, let me think..." - she glanced upwards in thought - "Hm... If you want a challenge, I might give it you in a riddle as well." - she said, causing him to blink and smile, glad that she was taking what he said seriously and that she felt like participating in this little fun plan of his - "Alright, let's see if you can figure this one out: it's something that can brighten a person's day. It's warm and comfortable. You can see it, but you cannot touch it, yet, you can still feel it."

"Wait a second, it's something one can't touch?" - he questioned her.

"Yep. You said you didn't want me to go easy on you." - she smirked - "One more tip: we can see it everyday."

He looked away in thought. What could be this mystery thing she wanted? How could he acquire something he couldn't touch and bring it back to the Condor? Plus, it was something common enough to be seen everyday... So how could it be intangible? Well, he'd have to think of something, since he had only one day to do it.

"Very well, then. I'll go find your gift and bring it back tonight." - he said to her, then gave her a peck on the cheek and headed for the hangar bay.

She smiled as her face grew rosy. The fact he was so determined to find her a gift was so adorable. She just hoped she hadn't come up with a riddle too hard to figure out. She didn't want him to waste his time looking for something that seemingly didn't exist. But she knew it did, she had some of it every single day. Well, eventually he'd find out. She knew he'd think of something, and he'd definitely surprise her. He already had just by letting her know it was his way to prove her he'd always focus his devotion to good things. She felt so much more reassured of his promise from last night.

Aerrow took off to the skies in order to look for this gift. Something that can brighten a person's day, but cannot be touched. It's also something you can see, plus you see it everyday... He looked around: there were a few Terras nearby, maybe he could search over them. He flew to each one of them, looking for what could be this special gift. He drove by a spring with crystal clear water. Yeah that was something nice, the pure water of a clean spring... But it was something cold, and technically, you can touch it. He shook his head and drove off to wander elsewhere.

That riddle certainly harder than he thought. Maybe he should have asked for a few more tips, but now was too late. And he couldn't back down. He kept searching and searching, but nothing matched Piper's description, at least, not completely. It was nearly 9 o'clock when he stopped to rest for a moment.

He parked his skimmer near a tree and sat on a rock beside it. He thought about the riddle again. Can brighten a person's day... Well, there were a lot of things that could do that: food, jewels, flowers. But those were all objects that could be touched. What then? The wind? The smell of a nice perfume? No, wait, it's something you can see everyday. And it's warm... Hm... Heat maybe? And heat from what? He suddenly had to hold his hand in front of his eyes to shield them from the reflection of the sunlight coming from his windshield. It was then that he blinked.

"That's it!" - he said in realization.

Alright, now he knew what was her gift. And it matched her description perfectly: brightens the day, warm, can be seen everyday but not touched, yet can be felt. That just had to be it! He had decided at last: he'd give her the sun.

* * *

 

"Wait, you're asking us if we have found a way of... 'Capturing' the Sun?" - one of the scientists from the group that used to be enslaved by Repton and had been helped to run away from Terra Bogaton by Aerrow, Starling and his squadron asked.

"Yeah. I remember the last time we've asked for your help and you created those, uh... Really cool forcefield hats." - Aerrow almost cringed on the inside when he said the hats were cool - "So I'm sure you've come up with something that seems nearly impossible like that."

"Well, while we appreciate that you liked our invention last time, we must admit that we have never thought of anything related to that." - the scientist said, causing the Sky Knight to frown a little in disappointment - "However, since you did save us back there, we can start some experiments right now and figure a way to get you what you need."

The young red-haired man smiled broadly. They just couldn't grasp what that meant to him. He was going to give Piper the best gift in the world and a completely unique one. The lizard looking men and the Sky Knight spent the whole day figuring out how to to "capture" the sun.

"Okay, first thing we need to know is: what exactly would be 'capturing'?" - one of the scientists suggested - "Are we supposed to try to get a sample of the gases of that massive star? How would we be able to simulate the fire without hurting anyone? And if we manage that, how can we make it last long enough?"

Aerrow realized only at that moment that the sun was actually a huge ball of gas exploding into fire. So there was no way to recreate that effect with a sample forever, the gas would be over in seconds and the fire and heat would be gone.

"I guess going through that path won't be possible. Like you said, if we ever manage to reproduce its effect, it won't last." - the young man said - "We need to think of something else."

"How about making an interactive hologram out of it?" - another scientist spoke - "We could use a Solar Crystal to mimic the heat and the realism of the sunlight, then link it to a Message Crystal."

"That's a good idea! Let's try!" - the Sky Knight agreed.

The scientists used a telescope along with the Message Crystal to record the Sun in all its majestic nature. Then they imbued the Message Crystal with Solar Crystals in order to mimic the star. After stabilizing the structure of the crazy new device they had come up with, they decided to test it.

"Shall we see if it's working?" - the scientist that had finished tweaking it asked.

"Alright. First test." - Aerrow activated the Message Crystal.

The moment the image appeared it shot out so much hot light that his eyeballs were nearly burned inside his skull, hadn't he protected his eyes quickly enough. He turned the device off so he'd not have to keep shielding his eyes.

"Well, I believe we didn't consider the amplification of the sunlight from the Solar Crystal. It almost turned out as a disaster." - one of the scientists said sheepishly but way too calmly.

"Almost? This thing nearly melted my eyes!" - the Sky Knight told him alarmed - "Good thing we tested first. But this idea is now out of question, I can't risk it backfiring."

"Then, what else is left to try?" - the lizard man shrugged.

"We could always try the focal point trick." - another scientist suggested.

"Focal point trick?" - Aerrow didn't understand.

"Yes." - the humanoid in a lab coat nodded as he picked up a magnifying glass and then positioned it under some sun rays - "When the sunlight hits a lens all the rays converge to one single point, called the focal point." - he explained while he put a piece of paper near the spot where the light had been focused and showed him how it started to burn - "The paper burns because we're focusing all the light and heat on that one point. In theory, the focal point can emulate the Sun in all its aspects, like a clone or a mirror, but for that, we'd need the perfect lens."

"Ah, I get it. That should actually resize it, but... It's still a ball of extremely hot light, how can I transport it?" - the red-haired leader of the Storm Hawks asked.

"We've been planning a way to isolate it from time and space in order for you to carry it around, using a matrix of reversed warp crystals, oblivion crystals, a shielding crystal and some enhancement crystals." - the scientist told him, but apparently he didn't really seem to get it fully, nor was he that interested in learning how that worked - "But we still need a lens."

"Well, where can I find it?" - Aerrow waited for an answer.

"It doesn't exist. We'll need to make it." - the former Raptor said - "We'll need some material that we don't have here, like the purest sand from the core of Terra Saharr: the white sand."

"Alright, you guys work on that crystal matrix thing while I go get some of this sand. How much do you need?" - the Sky Knight was determined.

"Hm... About 1 ton would be ideal." - the scientist told him nonchalantly.

Aerrow grimaced.

"1 ton?! But how am I supposed to bring all that?" - he questioned them.

"You can use our Windstone vacuum cleaner." - another scientist approached him holding the device - "Both the vacuum and the bag to hold dirt are created by the crystal, so there's no limit on how much stuff you can pull inside the bag and it never gets heavy."

The red-haired teenager took the vacuum cleaner with him.

"You guys have the craziest inventions." - he smiled, then he headed outside.

He hopped on his skimmer and flew towards Terra Saharr, which was quite far away from the lab. He took about two hours to arrive there, then he spent a good while flying around the core of the desert, gathering as much sand as possible. There was only one problem: how would he know he had gathered 1 ton if the device the scientists gave him never got heavy and it didn't tell how much weight was inside it? He figured he'd have to guess. To be sure, he spent quite a nice amount of extra time on gathering the sand.

When he was finished, the bag of wind was huge, it was the size of a considerably big house. He studied it for a moment before he turned back to looking at where he was going.

"I just hope that's enough." - he said in thought.

He gunned the skyride back to the lab, and when he arrived there, the scientists had already prepared another device to receive all that send.

"We figured you'd bring more sand than what we needed, so we've come up with a way to store it all while you were away, Mr. Aerrow." - the lead scientist told him.

"One can never be overly prepared." - the Sky Knight grinned.

He brought the skimmer closer to the device: it was a giant funnel, but there was some strange machine at the end of the narrow part. He put the vacuum in reverse, so it spit out all of the sand he had gathered. Once the sand reached the machine at the bottom of the funnel, it was melted and purified to produce the perfect glass for the perfect lens.

The scientists quickly built a holder for the lens at the top of an observatory. They had to disassemble the roof in order to place the giant magnifying glass on it. They also brought a very strange crystal matrix. It had the oblivion, warp and shielding crystals alright, what was impressive was the large amount of enhancement crystals that were all tied up like one big and thick wall of crystals.

"Wow, how many enhancement crystals have you got there?" - Aerrow asked.

"About 10 thousands." - the leader of the scientists told him - "You need that many to hold down something so powerful like the Sun."

The other scientists were making all the necessary preparations, and they seemed to be in haste.

"Why is everyone in a hurry right now?" - the teenager wondered.

"According to my calculations, the Sun will be at its absolute peak in five minutes. And it'll last for only a few minutes, so we must have everything ready before then." - the head of the scientists explained.

"Not only that... But we also need to get it right in the first time, because that's our only chance in the whole day." - the Sky Knight realized.

"You're correct. We cannot make a single mistake here." - the lizard man said - "I'm going to double check my calculations, just in case. Let's see... Check, check, check..." - he proceeded to mark a list of several pages.

Aerrow couldn't believe on all the effort they were putting on his request. He definitely would have to give them something really nice in return later. The group finished positioning all their equipment and set it up according to their leader's calculations. And then they waited. It wasn't long when the intense sun rays were starting to pour down the magnifying glass.

"Activate the reversed warp field!" - the head scientist gave the signal.

Some strange laser beams were shot towards the focal point, in order to create a field where the sunlight would be focused. In the field isolated from time and space, the light was creating an image of the Sun itself in perfect accuracy.

"Quickly, turn the enhancement matrix on gradually." - he instructed.

The field grew a little bit larger and it seemed thicker as well. The light that was starting to look unstable came back to how it was and it seemed to remain stable, even though it was growing more intense little by little. There was a point in which it stopped becoming brighter, which was when it reached the same brightness as the star itself.

"Alright, now we can enable the shields at maximum energy at once." - the lizard man finally said.

A transparent sphere appeared around the tiny replica of the Sun, completely protecting it from any interference and causing the need to keep the crystal matrix activated all the time to disappear. They deactivated the machines and walked towards what they had just created.

"Ah, the isolation worked perfectly." - one of the scientists commented.

"I can't believe we made it." - Aerrow was impressed - "Just... How come we're able to stare into it directly without needing sunglasses?"

"We've modified the shielding crystals so the harmful sun rays cannot pass through the barrier." - the lizard man told him.

"It seems we've made it in time, Mr. Aerrow." - the leader scientist said - "The monitors indicate that the field will remain stable forever. This will be an everlasting gift and it cannot be destroyed, ever." - he explained as he handed him a small handle so he could take the replica of the Sun with him.

"Thanks a lot, guys." - the Sky Knight used the handle to pick the sphere with the mini-Sun inside up - "Now I just need to find a nice box to put it inside."

"We've got that covered as well." - one of the scientists brought a metallic pink box for him - "This box can disassemble and mount itself again with the push of one button."

The red-haired young man placed the gift inside the box and closed it tight.

"I have to say, you guys are great. You've really outdone yourselves this time." - he complimented them.

"Well, that's the least we can do after all the years of peace you've given us when you saved us from Repton's clutches." - the lead scientist said - "We'll be forever in debt with you."

"Nah, that was nothing, I'm glad you've been doing fine all this time." - he said as he walked towards his skimmer - "Now I gotta go. I'll be lucky if I get back before sundown."

He accelerated his skyride and took off. The scientists waved goodbye happily, they were glad that he had visited them and that they were able to help him. They hoped he'd tell them good news about the gift they all made together later.

* * *

 

The sun was slowly hiding behind the horizon, the sky was growing darker and the air was becoming colder because of the night coming. Piper was standing at the doorway of the hangar bay, waiting for Aerrow. She held her arms and stared at the sky in worry: he was taking quite long to come back. She hoped he was okay.

The navigator was about to walk inside when she heard the familiar sound of the red, blue and silver skimmer approaching from the distance. She turned around and saw her Sky Knight landing on the landing strip, safe and sound.

"Aerrow!" - she smiled broadly as she ran to him and greeted him with a hug - "Thank goodness you're okay, I was starting to worry."

He returned the embrace, then both pulled away a little, but still held onto each other.

"Sorry for taking too long." - he apologized - "I had a few minor setbacks when trying to get your gift, but I've managed it with the help of the Bogaton scientists."

He pulled the pink metallic box from behind his seat and handed it to her. She blushed softly upon receiving her gift, then she noticed the small button on top of the box and pressed it. The box opened itself, disassembling its walls and revealing her present. The mini Sun shone brightly and not only that, inside its field isolated from time and space, it was like a living copy of the star. Its fire moved around just like the real thing. The girl was agape.

"Wow... That's... The most beautiful thing I've ever seen!" - she said excitedly, then she beamed at him - "It must have been so hard to come up with this, you shouldn't have..."

"Hey, I did it in one day, it was no trouble at all, really." - he shrugged it off casually - "I just hope I found the right gift, though."

The Crystal Mage stared at her present once again and remembered the riddle she had given him earlier. Brightens a person's day, warm, can be seen everyday but not touched, yet, can be felt. It certainly matched her description perfectly. She giggled.

"Well, you've definitely given me the gift I wanted." - she told him, then she looked at the mini-Sun - "This present is amazing and I loved it. But it's not what I was talking about in the riddle."

"It isn't? But..." - Aerrow was confused.

She said he had given her the gift, but it wasn't this replica of the Sun. But it matched her description... Then... What...?

"The gift I wanted is something you've given me without knowing." - she told him - "In fact, it's something you give me everyday. Sometimes you make it even more special, like right now."

"What? There's no way I..." - he was trying to figure out what could the gift possibly be - "Okay... I'm out of ideas now, what is it?"

She shook her head laughing at his silliness.

"It's your love, Aerrow." - she placed her hand on his face, causing him to blink - "I see it everyday, in your eyes, your smile... I can feel it with your actions. It brightens my days and makes me feel warm. I consider myself lucky for having met someone like you."

Aerrow smiled warmly.

"I should be the one saying that." - he held her hand against his face - "All of this is just to compensate for all the good you've done to me ever since we've met, Piper. I don't know where I'd be without you... Yet, for you, I'll keep that promise I made you last night, but only because you asked me."

"Thank you, Aerrow, for listening and for being here with me." - she gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks for being here with me too." - he said as both intertwined their fingers.

They remained like that for a moment, then they headed inside, Aerrow pushed the skimmer and walked beside Piper, then the doors of the hangar closed as the two went into the corridor and climbed back into the Condor. The ship flew through the night skies that had witnessed their new bonding moment and how they had sealed his promise. From then on, Piper knew she could forever count on Aerrow, because of his integrity and how he was always true to himself and her.


End file.
